Silver
by EeveeInHeat
Summary: An Eevee named Silver is taken away from his family and home right before winter. Now, he learns what life is really like as he helps his new friends find their homes again. Along the way, he manages to gain the trust of another Eevee who was thrown into the same situation. However, he soon begins fall in love with the Eevee. Will their relationship ever go past friendship?
1. Shiny

**Author's Note: **Well, it's finally time to reintroduce "Silver". Unlike my others, I have changed around the story some and edited it. Also, a found a solution to a certain problem and now it's rated T. However, no matter how much it changes, this is still the story I had before the account messing up problem. So, here's the first chapter once again. -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

-** Chapter 1: Shiny **-

Silver woke as something prodded him in the side. He grumbled a little at the intrusion to his nice rest and rolled over onto his stomach to get away from whoever it was. Unfortunately, he rolled right off his nest onto the cold floor. Silver was instantly awake from the shock of the sudden temperature change. Silver jumped up and got his sensitive belly off the floor. He shivered at the coldness that had already seeped into him, though. And it wouldn't be getting better as it was the end of autumn.

He heard a giggle and looked over to see Rose, his sister. Like him, she was a regular, brown pelted Eevee. He sighed, never really being able to get angry at his sister for some reason. "You looked so funny when you jumped up, Silver," she said in between small giggles. For her, that was the equivalent of rolling on the floor while laughing. His sister usually kept all her emotions in, at least she had recently.

Silver sighed again, but Rose's laugh was too contagious and he soon joined in. "Good morning, Rose," he greeted once he was over his laughing.

"And good morning to you, too. Come on. Dad's waiting for us in the clearing," she replied.

Silver followed her out of their small room into the main section of the den. He saw the food pile against one wall, but he didn't have time to eat as Rose took him outside. His belly rumbled, but thankfully Rose didn't hear it, or at least didn't react to it. It could have been either, knowing her. Closing his eyes for a second, Silver steeled himself against the hunger. He had had a large meal last night. If he had really wanted food, he should have gotten up earlier.

Silver followed Rose over to the training clearing. The clearing was just a large circle of sand where one could practice fighting without getting hurt against the ground. However, the sand was horrible when it got in one's fur. It usually took an hour to wash the sand out of his fur, and then he had the assaulting stuff on his tongue. Silver would rather just have a grass clearing to practice in, instead.

She sat down on the edge of the clearing. Silver looked around for his father, but he was nowhere in sight. Rose glanced back at him and said, "He said to wait here until he came. Today we're supposed to learn something new."

Silver nodded and sat next to Rose. He shifted uncomfortable on the still cold sand. The sand stayed cold until night, even while the sun beat down on it all day. After a while, he was started to get impatient. He wished he would have gotten something to eat if he would have so much time. He hoped his father would show up soon; his hunger was harder to ignore with nothing to do, while growing larger by the minute. He got more and more impatient with every second. He wasn't exactly the patient one of the family. He let out a sigh and lowered his head as he tried to block out his unwavering hunger.

"Don't worry. He should be here soon," Rose said, laying her tail on his back for a second before returning to the same position she had been in since she had sat down. Her gaze was just staring out at nothing in particular.

Silver stared at her in amazement. How could she just sit there with nothing to do? It seemed she never got bored anymore. It was probably because of the day she decided she wanted to become an Espeon like their mom. Their mom could just sit and meditate for hours if she wanted to. Silver knew it would be difficult for Rose to become an Espeon, though. She had to create a true friendship with a non-family member, usually becoming love, before she could evolve. Plus, it had to happen during the day. With their resolute mom, the only way Rose could form a bond that strong with someone was sneaking out at night, which meant she would become an Umbreon.

As for Silver, he didn't know what he wanted to become. He saw nothing wrong with what he was now. However, he was constantly being pressed about the situation. He always wondered why he couldn't be a Vulpix or a Sandshrew. They didn't have to choose what they had to become. They only chose whether to evolve into one single evolution or not. He had to choose between _seven _different evolutions. And it seemed he had to. It was normal for other Pokemon to not evolve, but for Eevee, it seemed to be like a rule that you _had_ to evolve into something. And his parents seemed to follow that stereotype also.

In order to distract himself, Silver started to study the trees around him. It didn't really help as he knew the area by heart since he had lived here his whole life. Few trees grew near their den, a small burrow in a slight hill. Instead, undergrowth grew everywhere. The practice clearing was where their father trained them constantly, preparing them for the real world. They were the only Pokemon living here within one hundred yards. His parents had marked their area and no Pokemon had protested. He didn't see why they would as the forest almost went on forever.

Silver continued to look around, starting to space out with his thoughts. Suddenly, something in his brain went off, bringing him back to the present. He looked around for what was out of place, but he couldn't tell. Rose was sitting stock still next to him, still. He scanned the area again. Finally, the object caught his eye again.

_There_, he thought. Something was moving through the undergrowth. It was to their left from the way they were sitting. Silver watched it a little longer as it got slowly nearer. He didn't want to make Rose worry about a possible enemy, so he thought up of an excuse to get away. "Rose, wait here. I need to go use number one," he said.

She nodded absentmindedly, and he walked in back into the undergrowth. Once he was sure he was hidden in the thick plants, he starting making his way around to intercept the creature. Soon, he heard the rustling from it as it stalked along the clearing. Silver slid into some rather thick ferns and waited for the creature to appear, knowing he had the element of surprise.

A black snout appeared first, before the creature took a step forward, allowing Silver to see it completely. He was astonished to find that it was his father. Why would he be sneaking around? Then Silver remembered that they were supposed to learn something new. Maybe this was it. Silver started to follow his father silently. The Umbreon continued, oblivious of the Eevee trailing it. After following him for a little, Silver came up with an idea.

Crouching down, Silver prepared to spring. He then gathered his strength and sprung at the Dark-type. Silver landed squarely on his shoulders, causing the unsuspecting Pokemon to collapse to the ground.

Silver's father suddenly flipped over quickly, throwing Silver off his back. "Huh? Silver was that you? What are you doing here?" he asked, shaking the dust off his pelt.

Silver got up, barely containing a laugh. "I came over to see what someone was doing sneaking through the bushes."

His father raised his paw and ruffled his son's hair between the ears. "Well, let's meet up with your sister."

Silver followed his dad out of the undergrowth into the clearing. Rose jumped as they appeared. "Silver, what are you doing over there? I thought you were going to go over there," she said.

"What, no 'hi dad' or anything?" their dad said, barely suppressing a laugh of his own.

"Oh! Sorry. Hi dad. Why were you two over there?" she asked.

"That's what I want to talk to you two about. Today's lesson was going to be observance. The reason I had you wait, was that I was going to sneak up on you and show how you need to always be alert," he started. "But, Silver proved himself well by finding me out early. So I guess today's lesson will be unneeded."

"What are we going to do now?" Rose asked.

"Well, with no lessons for the day, that means you two have the day free," he said.

Even Rose cheered at the announcement. They rarely got a day off without having some training or chores to do. Rose rushed back to the den, but Silver paused as he saw his dad motion for him. "Yeah?" he asked, once Rose had left.

"I just wanted to say that you did well finding me out," his father praised. Silver smiled warmly at the compliment. His father smiled back before passing him and leaving the clearing. Silver was glad that his father was proud of him. He knew it wasn't right, but he liked his father more than his mother. Though his father worried about him and how he needed to evolve, too, his father wasn't as adamant about him evolving. Also, he felt like he could come to his father with more problems than his mother.

Silver headed back to the den and found Rose at the entrance, doing her imitation of their mother meditating. He wondered why she had been so excited to just come and sit. Then again, he rarely understood his sister's actions lately. Mentally shrugging, he headed on in and went straight for the food pile. He pulled a berry off and ate a quick breakfast.

He had just finished when his mother came in, a load of berries floating behind her. She placed them down on the pile with her psychic powers. Silver once again admired the convenience at being able to influence things just by thinking about them. However, it wasn't a strong enough attraction for him to want to be an Espeon or Umbreon. He liked staying just as he was.

"Hello, Silver, did you guys get a day off?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I really don't know what I'm going to do, though," Silver answered.

"Then it would be a good time to start thinking about the future," she said, already getting serious. "You need to plan, or you won't make it out in the real world. For instance, what do you plan to evolve into?"

Silver sighed at her persistence; she already knew the answer. "I told you I don't care about evolving," he answered. He winced as his mother gave him a stern look. However, rather than listen to her lecture again, he quickly changed the subject, "It's a nice day out, so I'll go get some exercise. There won't be many days like these left."

She continued to give him the look for a moment before sighing and walking back into her den. As she went, Silver heard her murmur, "What am I going to do with that boy?"

Keeping to his word, Silver went outside, passing the still meditating Rose on the way. What he had said had been true; the day was nice and sunny, with a slight breeze. The temperature was warm enough for the afternoon, though it would be colder tonight.

Silver randomly started walking to clear his mind. It wasn't that he didn't want to listen to his mother, it was just that she insisted on him making life decisions that he wouldn't be able to change so soon. However, Silver did realize that she was only looking out for him. It was true that it was easier to survive in the wild when one was fully evolved. Also, she wanted him to think ahead, which Silver thought was okay. No matter what, though, he loved his mom, and he wouldn't trade her for any other.

Silver paused as he suddenly noticed that he didn't recognize the nearby surroundings. After a moment of inspection, Silver realized that he was lost. Silver's first instinct was to panic, but he pushed that thought away. His father had always taught them that panicking never helped. Taking a deep breath to push back the recurring instinct to panic, he studied his surroundings more closely. Finally, he was able to recognize some of the bushes behind him. He hadn't gone that far past the territory his parents had.

He turned, about to go back, when something caught his eye. He looked around, but couldn't see it again. Curious, he walked toward the area he had seen it in. After a few steps, it caught his eye again. This time, he locked on to it. A few steps away, something was reflecting some sunlight. Silver stepped closer to see what it was. Silver was unable to identify what it was, but it did seem to have a gleam to it, that sort of lured Silver toward it. The object was smaller than his paw and was stuck in the dirt. The grass around the object was smashed flat, as though it had been trodden on by something heavy.

Finally, curiosity got the better of him, and he reached out and touched it with a paw. Suddenly, something popped above him. His head swirled up to see some net-like material falling above him. Before he could react further, the net was over him, pinning him down with its heavy weight. Against what he had been taught, Silver panicked and started to thrust around to try to get out. But the more he struggled, the more it seemed to ensnare him. His legs were soon caught completely in the net, the strands painfully rubbing against his skin.

Silver suddenly noticed a strange smell in the air. As soon as he smelt it, he knew it held some kind of poison. He held his breathe and stopped struggling to concentrate on this new problem. He knew it was unlikely to pass quickly, but it may have moved enough to not affect, at least too much. At least there was a slight breeze at the moment. His lungs started to ache for air, but he disciplined himself against it. He knew how long he could hold out from testing himself when he was bored. Eventually, though, he had to breathe in or pass out; he decided to breathe in.

Determined to escape, he decided to try again before the poison set in. After taking a few gulps of air to steady his burning lungs, he reached down and bit into one of the strings. The strand was small and stringy and tasted horrible. It also left his mouth with an almost unbearably bitter aftertaste. However, he continued. The cord was tight and strong, but after a little gnawing, he finally managed to tear it. He wanted to continue to bite through the cords, but his strength seemed to be leaving him. He tried to hold on as his vision started to dim, but the effects seemed to continue. Finally, his consciousness faded.


	2. Escapees

**Author's Note: **Man, I made a lot of changes to this chapter, even to the title. More than seven hundred more words. It's startling how much this chapter needed corrections. I also hope that the rest aren't as long or I might take a little to get everything ready again. Anyway, here's the second chapter. -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

-** Chapter 2: Escapees **-

Silver opened his eyes, only to shut them tight again. A bright, white light was shining down from above him. Had he died? No, he could still feel soreness in his unused muscles. _Wait, unused?_ he thought. Then the memory of the net came back to him.

He opened his eyes again, once again starting to panic. The light stung his eyes again, but Silver ignored the pain. He looked around him as his vision came into focus. He was in a black cage on a table. All along three of the walls, ran a counter of the same height. Vials, syringes, tubes, and notes covered it all the way around. On the other side of the simple four wall room, was a door, a small glass square at the top. Besides his cage and the items on the counter, everything was white. The counters, the walls, the floor, and the ceiling were all a plain, dull white.

The light didn't seem bright at all now and Silver deemed his first reaction to having his eyes closed for so long. How long had he been here? How did he get here? What was going to happen to him? Silver heard his stomach growl. Well one answer was that he had been here _too_ long.

It wasn't long before he heard a click behind him. He turned and saw the door was starting to open. A human walked in and shut the door behind it. It was looking a pad in its hands. The human was wearing an all-white coat, a color Silver was starting to dislike. The human was muttering to itself, but it was too low for Silver to distinguish what it said.

Finally, the human looked up at Silver. It walked up to Silver's cage and produced a small silver object out of the coat. It unlocked the cage and swung the door open. Silver immediately tried to slip out, but the human was ready and Silver was soon locked in a vice grip by one of the human's arms. Silver knew the grip was too strong and he let himself go limp. He would have tried to bite the human, but nothing was in range of his teeth besides cloth. The human muttered again, but all Silver could understand was 'me'.

The human picked up a syringe and held it over Silver. Realizing that he was the target, Silver started to squirm again to get away from the needle. However, the grip continued and the needle was soon against his skin. Silver felt a painful prick against his side as it pierced the skin. Soon, the syringe turned red as something filled it. Silver then realized that it was his own blood.

Once the syringe was full, the human slid it inside of the coat and carried Silver back to the cage. Silver growled as the human locked the cage back up, but the growl was weak sounding. His throat was cracking, both to unused and no water. The human simply ignored him. The human walked out, leaving Silver alone once again.

Silver curled up on the cold metal floor of his cage and tried to think. He would need to get out, but the human probably wasn't going to just let him out. Silver started to go through several possibilities of escape, but all of them ended at the door. Not only would he have to open the door, he would have to found his way from there.

Eventually, only Silver's thoughts of food and water got attention. His stomach rumbled as it cried out for substance, but there was nothing inside the cage to eat. His throat wasn't getting any better, either.

Silver looked up hopefully as the door clicked open again. A human, probably the same one with all the muttering, came in with two, black saucers in his hands. As he put the two on the counter while he fished for the metal item again, Silver saw that one contained water, while the other had some weird brown stuff in it. The human pulled out the object and opened the door again. Silver didn't try to escape, since there was no way out with the door closed. The human watched him closely as it put the saucers down in front of him. It then shut the cage door and walked out, once again shutting the room door.

Once the human was gone, Silver approached the saucers. Since he didn't know what the brown stuff was, he decided to drink first. The water was horrible with the same aftertaste the netting had, but he was still grateful for anything that quenched his thirst. He stopped halfway, unsure how long it would have to last.

His thirst mostly quenched, he turned to the only saucer. Inside were what appeared to be small, brown, Rattata droppings. Silver cautiously sniffed it, but couldn't smell any flavor to it. Since the other one had been water, he assumed it was food, probably human made. Silver was indecisive until his stomach growled once more. Silver squeezed his eyes shut as he put one of them in his mouth. Unlike the water, it didn't seem to have any taste, like eating solid air. When his stomach growled again, Silver ate faster. Soon, his stomach stopped, satisfied for the moment. Sighing, Silver left the half-finished saucers and curled up again.

It wasn't long before the human once again came back. This time, he seemed angry, as he was almost muttering loud enough for Silver to hear. He pushed the door back, not really watching to see if it closed. However, Silver was, and he realized that this could be his chance when the door didn't fully close.

The human came up and opened the door to the cage. Silver tensed to jump, but the human reached in quickly and grabbed him ruffled by his collar. Knowing he would only get hurt struggling in this position, Silver once again went limp, involuntarily whimpering as his hair pulled against his skin.

The human carried him to the long counter and it picked up a syringe from the counter. The human filled it with some strange liquid out of a tube and poised the syringe over him, the sharp needle catching the dim lighting. Silver knew he definitely didn't want that strange liquid in him. Silver started to wildly struggle as the syringe hovered above him. The human lost his grip, though still being able to hold on to some of Silver's fur. He cried out slightly as some of his collar fur was pulled out of his skin. Silver fell to the floor in a heap.

Silver looked up, slightly dazed from the fall to see the human suddenly puncture itself with the syringe by accident. Time seemed to stop as the human paused, the needle puncturing its skin while his mouth opened in a pained expression. Suddenly, the human passed out and fell to the floor, luckily missing Silver by a little.

Silver approached the door and saw it was indeed still open a crack. He pulled the door inward using his snout, making just enough of a gap for him. He looked out and saw a completely white hallway. Seeing no one around, Silver snuck out. He glanced around for a second, before he felt almost drawn to the right. Seeing both ways being equal, Silver decided to follow what he thought was his instinct to the right.

He stopped dead in his tracks as another lab coat came around the corner. It seemed to not notice Silver as it passed right by him. Suddenly, a Houndour came from the other end of the hallway. It passed right in front of the human, but the human paid it no mind. Silver realized that Pokemon must have walked free here. All he needed to do now was act normal and maybe no one would notice!

Silver continued down the hall, the strange feeling still guiding him. He tried to act as natural as he could, as though he belonged here. He wished he had a bag or something. Most of the Pokemon he saw were carrying something to and fro. He barely held back from flinching whenever a Pokemon or human got close to him. That would definitely raise some suspicion.

Silver had gone down about three hallways, when he saw an open door. Silver had passed several doors has he had walked, but they had all been closed. Against his better judgment, the feeling was telling him to go in. Also, he was slightly curious to see why they had captured him. He checked around and saw no one around, so he stuck his head in the room. There were no humans or free Pokemon walking around inside, so he slipped in. The room was mostly like the one Silver had been in, but there were three cages on the counter in the middle. He headed for them, not wanting another Pokemon to stay captured if he could help it.

Silver jumped up on the counter to see that each of the cages held a Pokemon inside. The cage on the left held the dark green and pale pelt of a Cyndaquil. The Cyndaquil was curled up in a corner, sleeping. The cage in the middle held the white form of a Ralts. It was sitting, staring right at Silver as though it had been expecting him. A black band covered the whole length of its arm. The cage on the right held the orange form of a Trapinch. The Trapinch was sitting in a corner, jumping as Silver suddenly jumped up.

"Shh, shh, be quiet, guys," Silver warned. The Trapinch paused, while the Ralts simply nodded in agreement.

The Cyndaquil suddenly stretched and looked up. It had obviously heard what Silver had said, for it sat near the door of its cage, not saying a word. It stared at Silver, waiting for the reason of why he wanted them quiet.

"Okay guys, I trying to get away. I noticed your door was open, so I came in. I was captured but I got out of my room, somehow. I came in to get you guys out, also," Silver quickly explained. He paused for a moment before added, "It would also help if one of you knew a way out of this . . . place."

The Trapinch looked annoyed, while the Cyndaquil simply shook his head. However, the Ralts nodded before it suddenly stuck the arm with the black band on it through the bars of the cage. "Here," he whispered, "Bite this band off of me. The others couldn't reach"

Silver gave him a confused look, but leaned down and carefully tried bite the band off. It took a second before Silver was able to slide one of his teeth underneath the material. The material easily snapped and fell off as soon as Silver got one tooth under it, showing how weak it had actually been. The Ralts pulled its arm back in. It stretched its arm for a second before it waved its hand at its cage door. Silver was surprised when the door opened in response.

"I have psychic powers, but the band prevented me earlier," Ralts explained when it saw Silver's confused look. It waved its hand at the other cages and they opened also. The Cyndaquil and Trapinch stepped out and jumped down with Silver to the floor. Ralts floated down to the floor from the counter. Silver wasn't as awestruck as he possibly could be, since he had had an Espeon as a mother. Still, the fact that the small Pokemon could use the same powers as his mother was startling.

"So, you said you know of a way out," Silver whispered to the Ralts.

The Ralts once again nodded. "I'll continue to show you the way," he said, motioning for Silver to go.

Silver was confused at his statement. "Continue?" he asked. "I just freed you."

The Ralts smiled a little. "That feeling you had was me leading you. You didn't think it was dumb luck that the human stabbed himself and you came here, did you?" it teased.

Silver decided not to answer and followed the feeling that was now leading him into the hallway. "Follow me, I guess. You have to stay close and walk as though you're allowed out. Otherwise, we'll raise suspicion," Silver whispered. The others nodded and crept to the door with him.

Silver saw no one outside, so he slipped out and walked down the hallway, following the feeling. He waved his tail for the others to follow. He hoped a large group wouldn't arouse suspicion, but it was too late to think of that. He noticed less humans and Pokemon traveled these hallways, anyway.

Finally, they turned around a corner and saw the hallway end with a door. It seemed like all of the others, but Silver knew it was the exit by the way the feeling was leading him straight there. He started down the hallway, glad no one was around. However, part of the way down on the left was a partially open door. He knew if the room held humans or free Pokemon, their cover would be blown, but now that he was sure other captured Pokemon were here, he couldn't just pass it up. He slowed as he reached it.

"What are you doing?" the Trapinch spoke. It was the first time it had said something and Silver jumped at the unexpected noise.

"There may be other Pokemon in here," Silver explained.

Cyndaquil shook its head. Trapinch spoke again, "We can't go in every room we come by or we'll be caught. We need to go, now."

Silver glared at the Trapinch and Cyndaquil, "If I hadn't gone into your room, you guys would still be caught. Besides, it's just this one room because the door is already open. I don't want to leave any Pokemon I might have been able to save."

The Cyndaquil lowered its head in shame, while Trapinch gave Silver a mutinous look. _Guys, stop your arguing. There is only one Pokemon in there, and I don't think it is a bad Pokemon. _Silver jumped at the sudden voice in his head. He saw the Cyndaquil and Trapinch also jump. _It's me, the Ralts. I usually speak telepathically, but the band prevented me earlier, as I said._

Silver relaxed. "So, you're sure only one Pokemon is in there?" he asked. With a nod from the Ralts, Silver pushed the door enough to enter and slipped in.

The room surprised Silver greatly. Inside, there was no furniture, except one small counter with a few items and a chair pulled up to it. Silver noticed immediately something even more surprising. The walls were a dark gray. The floor was too, except a few whitish spots scattered here and there, as though something had been spilt and never cleaned up. What surprised Silver the most, though, was the Pokemon curled up on the floor.

Silver took a second to study the Pokemon. It seemed to have a brown coat with a tail, but there were whitish spots covering it, with a few red marks near the base of the tail and on its back. The tail covered its head, but Silver couldn't see the tail too clearly. The Pokemon had a chain leading from its neck to a plate on the wall. Silver was horrified that they would chain a Pokemon up like this. He was now slightly glad he had been in a cage instead.

The others came in behind in. The ears of the Pokemon perked out of its tail at the sound of them entering. Its ears seemed to be brown, but both had red spots near the edges. Its head swiveled slightly to see who it was. Its tail still covered it, but Silver could just barely see two eyes through the fur.

The Pokemon suddenly shot up and ran into the corner closest to it and farthest to them. Silver heard it start to whimper as it cowered in the corner. What had they done to scare this Pokemon so much? From how it was now, Silver could see the tip of the tail. It was a lighter brown than the fur covering the rest of it. Also, he saw the Pokemon had a mane of the same color. The realization hit him: this was an Eevee!

Silver motioned the others back and started to approach the Eevee slowly. Silver heard the Trapinch mutter something under its breathe, but Silver ignored the grouchy Pokemon. He didn't want to frighten the Eevee too much with a bunch of strange Pokemon approaching it.

But his approach seemed to fail, as the Eevee pushed itself farther into the corner and started to sob. "W-why can't you P-Pokemon leave m-me alone already?" the Eevee begged quietly.

Silver stopped. This situation was ripping at his heart. How could these people hurt a poor Eevee? The other Pokemon, though he didn't know how long the others had been there, didn't seem to be hurt at all from what Silver could tell. "Wait, shh, be quiet. I'm not here to hurt you," Silver tried to soothe.

The Eevee seemed to try and squeeze into the corner even more at the sound of his voice. "Yeah, right. Don't try to trick me. I know what you guys want," it hissed with such venom that Silver took a step back. "Oh, oh, don't try to play dumb. I know what you're here for," it continued. It hissed at Silver, though he could tell it was still on the verge of tears.

"I don't know what you're talking about, honestly. Look, I'm trying to escape and would like to know if you wanted to also," Silver tried to explain.

The Eevee looked at him and a flicker of hope entered its brown eyes, but only a flicker. "I already told you not to try to trick me," it said, trying to keep its bravado going, but Silver knew a little more and it would break out crying.

"Fine, don't escape with us, but at least let us free you," Silver said. The chain seemed to be very strong by the large width of them. _Hey_ _Ralts, are you listening to me?_

_Yeah. Call me PJ. _Silver heard him say into his mind.

_Okay, can you break these chains? _I asked.

_One second,_ Silver heard. A purple glow surrounded the chain about a foot from the Eevee's neck. The Eevee cowered from the section of chain. Silver heard she had broken into soft sobs again. The chain lifted a little, but nothing else. It dropped back to the floor. _It is pretty reinforced steel. Mind attacks are near useless. Even at my high level of psychic power, I am unable to break it, _PJ explained.

Silver thought for a second. He could hear Trapinch tapping one of his feet impatiently. Finally, an idea came to mind. "Hey, Cyndaquil, come here," he whispered. The Cyndaquil approached him, but didn't say anything. "Can you heat a section of the chain to a high temperature?" Silver asked.

The Cyndaquil nodded and shot flames at the chain where Ralts had lifted it. It warmed and started to glow orange. The Eevee cowered even more from the flame near it, but the chain wouldn't stretch any more, even if Eevee wasn't in the corner. Soon, the Cyndaquil stopped. The chain was left a bright orange from the intense heating.

_Okay, PJ-_ Silver started to think to him, but PJ had already caught on. Once again, the chain was surrounded by a purple glow and it soon snapped. The chains rattled on the floor and Silver panicked at the thought of someone else hearing them.

_Don't worry; no one else is near enough to hear,_ PJ thought to him.

Silver looked at the Eevee once again. It was still cowering in the corner. This time, he approached it completely and leaned down next to it. The Eevee tensed, ducking its head away from him. "Come on, we're friends. You don't even need to stay with us for long. At the end of this hall is an exit to the outside. Please come, at least to there. You'll be free again, I promise," Silver whispered.

The Eevee relaxed slowly and got up. It still shot suspicious glances at them, though. Silver inwardly sighed with relief that he had been able to convince it to come. He went to the door and glanced at PJ. _The coast is clear,_ he heard.

Silver went into the hallway and headed for the exit. They got there quickly, though he noticed the Eevee lagged behind some. PJ waved his hand at the door and it opened quickly. Another human was outside, this one wearing black. It swiftly turned around when the door opened and noticed the Pokemon. The guard started to reach toward it belt, but suddenly passed out.

_Let's go, before they find the guard,_ Silver heard in his head. The door closed behind them as they ran toward a large mass of trees nearby, Silver still being guided by the feeling.


	3. Direction

**Author's Note: **Not much changed in this one. Anyway, this makes three down, several more to go. I did catch some grammatical errors and I made one plot change, but that was all for this chapter.

**Silver**

-** Chapter 3: Direction **-

Silver and the Ralts led the others into the group of trees for a while before stopping to rest. Silver sat down, while the Trapinch laid down next to him. It was out of breath and Silver guessed it wasn't used to running. The Cyndaquil sat quietly nearby, looking at its feet. PJ sat down in front of Silver in a cross legged fashion. He realized the Eevee sat at a distance to everyone.

"Well, I think we should have a proper introduction now that we're out of immediate danger," the Trapinch spoke up, once it had caught its breath. "I'm Ace." He nodded at Silver.

"My name is Silver," Silver said.

_You can call me PJ,_ Silver heard. He must have only told him his name, earlier.

"I-I'm called Flame," the Cyndaquil nervously said.

Silver glanced at the Eevee. Though its ears were pricked as though listening, it was obvious the Eevee wasn't going to tell them its name.

"So, umm . . . does anyone have any ideas on what to do now?" Silver asked. He was slightly embarrassed at having to ask, but he wasn't about to lead anyone with no idea with what to do.

_You're to ride my friend over to the mainland,_ Silver heard PJ think to them all. _Before you ask, we're on an island right off the coast. It supposedly has a ready to erupt volcano, but that's a misplaced rumor to keep away curious people. These scientists are doing experiments that are illegal, or at the very least immoral to most beings. Luckily what they do is all here and hasn't spread yet, so I'll be able to stop them here._

_I've been planning this for a long time in order to stop this kind of thing. Don't worry; I'll be able to easily take down this weak humans. I'm much stronger than I appear on the outside. I plan on stopping them soon, but it will take some hours to prepare my powers and then a few days to get the other captured Pokemon to the mainland and safety with only my one friend to help at the moment._

_That's why I'm telling you how to leave now, before all the chaos. There is a beach near here where my friend is waiting. She'll take you over there. She'll be able to carry you all easily. Now follow me, there's no time to stop. I need to start rescuing the other Pokemon._

"But . . . wait . . . WHAT?" Silver stuttered.

_As I said, I've been planning this for a while. I had almost succeeded when I was caught. When they put the band on me, they cancelled the most of my psychic powers. My friend couldn't help because she can't come out of the water long enough. All I needed was the band off. This is the way I'll repay you: an early way off the island. Come,_ PJ thought. He headed off through the trees. Silver, Ace, and Flame exchanged glances, but shrugged and headed after PJ. Silver saw the Eevee follow at a distance out of the corner of his eye.

They soon reached the beach. Silver had never seen the ocean, and he gasped at its beauty as the waves rolled around and against each other. The sun glinted off the water, making it glitter. A smell of salt was in the air as the waves rolled gently along the coast. The Eevee came up on his right, equally awestruck by it. It probably hadn't noticed how close it was to them.

_Here is my friend,_ PJ said.

A large blue creature came into view from a bend in the coast. It had a large, purple colored, corral like shell on its back. Its underside was a pale yellow. There was a horn on its forehead. Though Silver had never seen one before, he knew it must have been a Lapras, having heard the amazing tells about them.

The Lapras came up to the beach, dunking its head in greeting. "Hello, everyone; I am Pail. Nice to meet you. PJ has told me, and I will take you all over to the mainland," she said. "Everyone please get on my back."

Silver was the first to react. He put a foot on Pail's back and was glad to note how sturdy and solid her back was. He jumped onto shell and turned around to face the others still on the shore. Ace saw Silver standing easily and jumped on. Cyndaquil hesitated long at the shore, but finally overcame his fear of water enough to jump on Pail's back. Silver was glad to see the Eevee finally jump on last, though it curled up in the shadow of one of the larger spikes on the shell, as far as it could get from the others.

Silver turned back to PJ. "Thank you, PJ, for everything. Are you sure you can take them?"

_Yes, yes, now go on Pail,_ PJ said.

"Bye, PJ," Ace called out, as PJ sent us away.

"B-bye, PJ," Flame stuttered out before we were out of hearing range.

Finally, they were out of talking range, but they weren't out of range of PJ's mind. _I hope to see you again someday with better circumstances, Silver. Thank you for taking that band off. I'll go rescue all the others. Oh, and one last gift for you: her name is Eve, _Silver heard in his head.

Silver puzzled over what he said even after PJ was out of sight. Suddenly, the realization of what PJ meant hit him. Eve was the Eevee! But how had PJ known? Had she confided in him through her mind? He looked at her, but she was still curled up, ignoring everyone.

The raft sailed a straight direction and constant speed. No one talked as they sailed over the water. Silver wondered how far Pail would be able to travel with all of them on her back. After a little, he saw something on the horizon in the direction they were moving.

_That must be the mainland,_ Silver thought. Soon, the silence was really getting to Silver. He was one of those Pokemon that just needed noise. Finally, he thought of something to say, "Is it just me, or is all these events that have happened going by in a blur."

Ace nodded, "I feel it, too. It's like everything moving faster than normal. As you can tell, I don't do well with fast. But I'm not complaining about this quick change. I'm glad to be free again."

Flame also nodded, though he didn't say anything. As usual, Eve didn't speak up. He wondered why she wouldn't talk, but she probably wouldn't answer any of his questions.

The conversation ended there, and Silver didn't try to start it up again. He kept silent as they approached the mainland. Soon, they could distinguish some of the terrain. They were headed for a strip of beach right in front of a forest. The ground rose on either side forming cliffs.

Finally, Pail reached the beach and floated right beside it, close enough for everyone to jump out onto land. Flame immediately jumped out and Silver could tell that if they weren't there with him, he would be kissing the ground right now. Ace followed him, looking much more calm and relaxed with a more reliable ground under him. Giving Eve one last glance at her curled form, Silver jumped out.

The sand gave way slightly underneath him, but it kept his weight. He had been on sand before, but this sand felt much smoother and much, much more comfy than the sand he had ever experienced before. He immediately wanted to curl up right there and sleep, but he stopped himself.

"Thank you, Pail," Silver said to the Lapras.

"Thanks," Ace echoed, while Flame just nodded.

"You're all welcome," Pail said.

Silver looked back, but Eve didn't seem as though she was coming. He shrugged to the others and started up the gentle slope into the trees. The others followed right behind him. Right before they reached the tree line, though, Silver heard Eve jump out of the boat. He resisted looking back and continued into the trees.

Fate must have been smiling down on them, for they had only been moving five minutes through the trees before they came upon a cave large enough to camp in that night. It was starting to get dark outside. Between the three of them, they collected enough berries for a hearty supper. It was really getting dark by the time they were done eating. They went into the cave and slept, each of them having a few feet of space between the other. Silver could've sworn he saw Eve sneaking into the cave, but he could've been wrong.

(0)

Silver stretched from his sleep, the sunlight shining on him. He got up and looked around groggily. He panicked for a second when he realized that he wasn't in his cave. Then his memories came back and he calmed down.

He looked around again, but saw Eve wasn't there. He must have been wrong then. He saw the others were still asleep. He started thinking of what to do. He wanted to go back to his family, but for one, he didn't know where he was or they were, and for another, he felt strangely reluctant to leave Ace and Flame behind. When his stomach growled, he headed out and gathered a berry for each of them. When he got back, Flame was already awake and was grooming himself.

"Good morning," Silver said.

Flame looked up at him and nodded, but didn't say anything. Silver put the food in a corner and ate a hearty breakfast. Flame soon joined him. Silver was almost finished when Ace awoke.

"Good morning," Silver said.

Ace stretched each leg and replied, "Good morning."

When Silver finished eating, he tried to think of something to start a conversation. Finally, something came to him, and, seeing Flame was finished, he asked him, "So how were you captured, Flame?"

Flame seemed slightly surprised that Silver had asked him, but quickly hid it. "Well I was a trainer's Pokemon. We lived over by a desert near a cave formation where I was born. One day, I was coming out of the cave ahead of my trainer when a net fell on me. Then I woke up in that strange place. I was there about a week when you came. They did some tests on me like running on a treadmill and taking blood samples."

Silver nodded, but then all their attention was drawn to a new sound. In the direction of the beach, a sudden loud explosion sounded. Silver saw the sky light up a little. Soon, smoke started to rise into the air. Several flying type Pokemon flew away from the island.

"I guess PJ wasn't kidding," Silver said.

Flame nodded in agreement. He went back to grooming himself.

Wanting to take the attention off the island, Silver turned to Ace, "So how did you get captured?"

Ace paused, half of his berry left in front of him. "I was a wild Pokemon, a loner who didn't care about anyone else. I was walking through the forest, recently beating another trainer who wanted to catch me, when I saw something shiny out of the corner of my eye. I walked over to it and found a flattened area with something in the middle. I touched it and a net fell on me. I had been at the island for two and a half weeks when we escaped. They pretty much did the same tests on me, except, recently they . . . they tried to get me to mate, though I didn't."

Silver put a paw on his back to comfort him, but he shrugged it off. "I was a wild Pokemon. I was playing around near my home when I found a flattened spot like you described. I touched it, was caught, and I think that was my first day there. They took my blood once, but that was all before I escaped."

Ace finished his berry and they sat there with nothing to do. What was there to do? None of them knew where to go. Finally an idea struck Silver.

"Hey Flame, I'll help you get back to your trainer, if you want," he said.

Flame looked at him, startled. "You want to help me? Why?"

"Well why not? I have nowhere to go and nothing to do. I may want to go back to my family, but I don't know where I am or where they are. So, I want to help you," Silver stated.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Flame said enthusiastically. Silver was surprised to see that much emotion from Flame, but didn't comment.

"I'll join in, too. You two probably don't have any sense of direction. You'll also need someone with experience and who can keep your imaginations from going wild. You two will probably be trying all kinds of impossible stunts," Ace said.

Silver held back a laugh when he heard Ace's excuse to come. He knew Ace didn't mean it like that. He took a breath as the three of them walked to the entrance of the cave. They were on their way.


	4. Events

**Author's Note: **Hmm, not much changed in this chapter either. I must say that it is strange to go back and look at my older chapters, though. Also, I'm pretty sure that chapter 5 will be getting a larger renovation than even chapter 2. Anyway, here's chapter 4. -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

-** Chapter 4: Events **-

Silver followed behind Ace and beside Flame. Ace had decided to lead them, saying he had a sixth sense for traveling or something. Flame had tried to describe everything near where he had lived, but Silver thought it was depressingly little to go on. Ace, however, said he should be able to lead them there. Silver couldn't complain as he didn't have any idea of where to go. At least they were moving.

They were still in the forest area. It seemed to never end as they walked. At least they hadn't met any wild Pokemon seeking a fight yet. They had met two Rattata, but the two had run when they saw them.

They came upon a small pond and they gratefully drank their fill. They decided to rest there and headed out to find berries. They split up to try and cover more ground. Light followed his nose and quickly found a berry bush. He collected enough for him and a few more in case the others were unsuccessful.

When he got back to the pond, their meeting place, he saw Eve taking a drink of the pond. Silver didn't question her and found a flat place to lie down and put the berries. He was about to take a bite of his first berry when he heard Eve gasp. Silver barely held back a laugh.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eve slowly backing away, her hackles raised, as she tried to slip out of the clearing. She kept her eyes wearily on him, watching for any moves. She glanced to his side, and he realized that she was looking at the berries. He saw the hunger in her eyes, but she kept silent and continued backing away. She paused once again at the edge of the small clearing the pond was in and stared at the berries.

Feeling sorry for her, Silver flicked a berry over to her with his tail. She froze for a second as it rolled over to her. She saw it was a berry and sniffed it warily, though Silver could tell how hungry she was. To let her know they were good, Silver took an obvious bite out of his. She hesitated another second and then leant down to take a bite.

Suddenly, Silver heard rustling and realized one of the others were coming back. Eve darted a glance toward the noise. She picked the berry up and ran out of the clearing. Silver shrugged and went back to his food.

Ace entered the clearing, a large Oran berry in his mouth. He sat down without a word and started to eat. He must not have seen Eve leaving the clearing.

Flame soon came back with his arms holding a few berries. Silver nodded as he appeared and they finished their meal. They took another drink and started off again, as it was only sunhigh. Silver purposefully held back a little and put a berry in the middle of the clearing, obviously seen by anyone nearby.

He trotted off and caught up with the others before the others expected anything. They headed along for a while. Ace occasionally looked back and frowned, but continued on. Silver looked back a few times when Ace did, but he didn't see anything.

They came upon a small clearing where the trees intertwined above, making a decent shelter. They searched for a few more berries and ate a good supper. They laid down on the soft grass. Silver hoped the following days wouldn't be as uneventful as today.

(0)

They headed off the next day. Silver didn't see any change in the area. All that was around was trees and undergrowth, nothing like sand, rock, and caves. But Ace was still determined that he knew where to go.

Ace was too busy trying to lead them to talk. Silver tried conversation with Flame, but it usually ended quickly. Silver was starting to get bored. He wished his sister was here. At least she openly talked when not copying their mom most of the time.

It was almost sunhigh when it happened. They were still plodding through the forest, when they saw an apple tree. The apples looked wonderful and delicious. While he had never tried an apple, Silver still heard his stomach growling at the sight of them.

"Well, it sounds like someone's hungry. I could do with an apple or two myself. How about you?" Ace asked Flame.

Flame nodded, his eyes gleaming as they looked at the apples.

"Good, well now we have to find a way to get them down. None of my moves will do it," Ace said.

"I could try to climb the tree," Silver volunteered. He ran up to the tree and jumped at it. He tried to get a grip, but the bark was extremely smooth for some reason and he fell to the ground. If only he had claws to help him climb.

"So, any other great ideas?" Ace teased Silver.

"I-I could get some," Flame said.

Silver turned to him in amazement. He had actually spoken without being spoken to. They were finally getting through that shyness. Ace shrugged while Silver nodded, still slightly stunned at Flame.

Flame charged up an Ember and shot it at the tree. He was aiming for the end of a branch to burn it off. However, a Beedrill moved in the way right before it hit. The attack instantly roasted the bug Pokemon.

"Quick, RUN!" Ace shouted, starting to run into the woods. Flame and Silver exchanged confused glances. The Beedrill was definitely defeated and wouldn't be able to hurt them now.

Then the Beedrill gave out a keening cry. Instantly, the forest was filled with the droning of wings. Silver and Flame looked around to see Beedrill everywhere, ready to attack. Ace's advice started to make sense.

Flame and Silver dashed after Ace. They followed his frantic trail, trying to avoid the Beedrill. Soon, they came upon a large boulder. A small hole on one side led somewhere. Seeing Ace's trail went in there, Flame and Silver squeezed inside.

Silver was surprised to see that the boulder was hollow on the inside. It made the boulder the perfect hiding place for them. Ace was lying on the ground, panting for his exertion. The Beedrill rammed themselves against the boulder, seeking entrance.

Eventually, the Beedrill started to give up and move away. They waited for five minutes after the last of the sound of the wings, before even peering outside. Seeing the Beedrill were really gone, they all came out into the sunlight.

Ace had escaped the Beedrill completely, while Flame had been struck three times and Silver twice. Flame and Silver sat down to lick their stinging wounds.

"Maybe next time you'll listen to my warnings," Ace said.

Silver and Flame didn't respond. Soon, they were heading along their way again. This time, there was even less conversation than before.

Soon, Ace started looking back every now and then. Finally, Ace stopped completely. "It seems we're being followed," he whispered to Silver and Ace.

Silver sneaked a peek back, but couldn't see anything. Flame started to fidget nervously.

"Silver, why don't you try to talk to it? If it was aggressive, it would have already attacked. Besides, you always want to talk," Ace said.

Silver ignored the insult and nodded. He went into the trees to their left and started in a semi-circle to come up behind the creature. He made sure not to snap a twig on step on a dead leaf in order to stay hidden. He made his way around and then started toward Ace and Flame again.

Soon, Silver saw it, or rather her. Eve was looking through the trees at Flame and Ace. Silver was disheartened to see her in the same state as she was in the lab back at the island. Her fur was still matted and had the stains on it. She also had the band of the chain around her neck, a horrible reminder of the past.

"Hello," Silver said.

Eve jumped around, startled. She looked around for a way away, but she was stuck between the three of them. Turning to aggression, she raised her hackles and bared her teeth, though her state deteriorated the effect.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I just wanted to talk," Silver explained.

Eve gave him a doubtful glance before relaxing some, though her hackles still stayed raised. "W-what do you want?" Eve asked quietly.

"Well the others wanted to know who was following us and why," Silver said. "And now I know who is following us. Would you like to explain?"

Eve looked away and didn't say anything. Her paw scraped the ground nervously as a silence prevailed between them.

Seeing she wasn't going to explain, Silver just said, "Well, I'll go back to the others then."

She backed away from him some as he passed her, still watching him cautiously. He wished she would trust him, but he knew he couldn't force trust. He let a sigh out. He reached the others again.

"So, who is it?" Ace asked.

"Oh, it's that Eevee from the island lab thingy," Silver said.

"Well, it better not try anything," Ace said.

Silver followed after Ace as they headed on through the forest. Soon, the sun started to set and they looked around for a place to stay for the night. It was starting to get dark, when they finally decided to stay at the roots of a large tree.

They started to search for berries again. Silver quickly found a berry bush, but ignored it and continued. Soon, he found what he was looking for: an Oran berry bush. He knew Oran berries had healing properties.

He searched for a large leaf and pulled it over to the bush. He tied the stem of the leaf to the pointed end. Once done, he put several berries on it and slipped his neck through the improvised basket. It hung gently against his chest, but didn't hinder him too much. He could still keep up with their walking pace.

He grabbed enough berries for supper and made his way to the tree. Flame and Ace were already back.

"What's that?" Ace asked.

Silver put down his berries and answered, "It's a basket so that we'll have Oran berries in case someone gets hurt."

Ace shrugged and went back to his supper. Silver ate his own supper. By the time he was done, Ace and Flame were already getting ready to sleep. He laid down next to them and waited. Soon, he heard both of them softly snoring.

Silver got back up and took one of the Oran berries. He headed back the way they had come and soon found Eve, already sleeping between the roots of a tree. Silver dropped the Oran berry by it and went back to his tree. He fell asleep quickly, this time hoping tomorrow wouldn't be as eventful today. He could do with a rest.

(0)

Silver got up and stretched. Flame was up and nodded, before continuing to groom himself. "Would you like to help me gather a few berries for breakfast?" Silver asked.

"Sure," Flame said.

They headed out and gathered the food quickly. Silver actually got Flame to join in a normal conversation. Flame was actually very talkative once you got past the shyness. As they returned, they saw Ace waiting. They ate quickly and headed out.

They headed in the same way as before. Silver stayed slightly behind Ace and Flame. He looked back repeatedly to see if Eve was still following them. He caught sight of her a few times, though she quickly dunked away into the nearby undergrowth.

Soon, a new noise could be heard. They came out of a stand of trees and saw Silver's first sight of a bustling city. Silver looked around in amazement at the large buildings that seemed to stretch endlessly, though he thought he could see the green of trees on the other side far on the horizon. Ace and Flame looked calm and he realized that they had probably would have already have seen cities before, if not this very one.

"Do either of you recognize this city?" Silver asked hopefully.

Flame shook his head and Ace said, "No, but I still sure we're on the right path. Now let's go and face what comes at us."

Silver got behind them as they headed for the city. He looked back and saw Eve was hanging back, not wanting to go close to the city. Silver hoped that she would come with them, though he did not know why.


	5. Surburban Wars, Part 1

**Author's Note: **Hmm, too much renovation at once. Anyway, this chapter became so long that I split it into two parts now. Also, I added a new character that will definitely be important in the future. In fact, it stops Silver from pretty much attacking a friend later on, but that's beside the point. Once Part 2 is done, I'll be writing from nothing but memory. My notes aren't helping since I went off them at about halfway through chapter 2. Maybe I should take better notes and outlines and backup more so this doesn't happen . . . So, for all you patient old readers and anxious new readers, here's the new chapter 5. -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 5: Suburban Wars, Part 1** -

Silver followed Ace and Flame right up to the city. Right before entering, Silver stopped him. "Wait, wouldn't it be easier to go around the city?" Silver asked. He was mostly thinking of Eve, who could still follow them if they went around, though he was a little hesitant of entering the city himself.

Ace shook his head, "No, cities don't have a lot of problems unless you attack something. Trainers are here and will fight back, but they mostly will ignore you, thinking you're someone else's Pokemon outside its Pokeball. It should be easy to get through quickly, saving a lot of time."

Silver couldn't argue his points. He nodded his head, not showing any outward emotion, but he wanted nothing more than argue until Ace gave up. But knowing Ace even for a little, Silver knew he probably had enough reasons to defeat anyone and then some. And once Ace had made up his head, little of it could change, if any.

Where they were, there wasn't a formal entrance into the city, but there was a damp alleyway. They headed down it, making sure not to step on the few items scattered here and there. Silver didn't like the straight, stone walls blocking him in on two sides. The straight angles and grayness just didn't seem natural and Silver found himself almost shaking. Besides, it felt way too easy to trap someone in the alleyway with only the two exits.

He was instantly proved right. Suddenly, three dark shapes appeared in front of them, blocking off their progress. They were slightly larger than himself, but as Silver looked at them, they seemed to be more menacing than normal. Their pelts had only different shades of black, their long black tails spiking out behind them in a sign of aggression. Each of them had menacing teeth showing in their snarl with yellow and red piercing eyes. Silver recognized them as Poochyena.

Silver took a glance behind and realized that four Pokemon blocked their way back out of the city. Two were bird like Pokemon smaller than him, but both looked powerful. Another was blue with no eyes, but had somehow landed on the ground without enough noise to warn them earlier. It had a large mouth with large gleaming teeth to match, sending small shivers down his back. However, this one also seemed to be slightly tired as it was normally nocturnal. The last one was like the first two, but much larger. It had decorative feathers growing from its head, though a few were missing. Silver recognized the common forest Pokemon as two Pidgey, a Zubat, and a Pidgeotto.

Silver knew that there were only two options left for them: fight and run when given the chance, or give in and hope they don't want to simply kill them. Studying the Pokemon, Silver realized all of them were fighters. Each of them had several scars, and each of them looked like they do with some extra sleep. Every one of their gazes was hard and cold as they stared them down. These were not merciful Pokemon. If it did turn into a fight, they wouldn't be getting away without injuries. Silver was glad for his leaf of Oran berries now, even if it would hinder him in a fight a little.

Silver saw Ace seemed calm on the outside as he stared the other Pokemon down, just like what Silver would expect. Flame, however, surprised him. He had expected Flame to be intimidated by the opponents, but it was a completely different reaction Silver saw. Flame's back was glowing, giving off a strong heat. His small hands were drawn into fists and his whole demeanor said to get back. Flame was actually enjoying the chance of a battle. This new ferocious Flame was actually starting to scare Silver.

While Silver wanted to help the Cyndaquil, who was facing the flying type Pokemon, Ace wouldn't be able to keep up with the Poochyena. Besides, Flame looked like anything that got in his way was going down, and Silver didn't want to accidently get burned by his attacks. Silver turned and faced the Poochyena with Ace, trusting Flame to watch their backs.

They waited in tense silence. The Pokemon on either side were not moving toward them, but they still kept up the aggressive stances. Silver was about to suggest they charge out through the flying Pokemon, escaping before they took flight, but something finally happened. The Poochyena silently moved to either side of the alleyway, leaving a gap. Silver soon saw why. A large dark colored Pokemon stepped into view, its size making up for the gap the Poochyena had left. It looked slightly like the Poochyena, but it made their attempts at aggression look pathetic. He was the most frightening thing Silver had seen in his life. And yet, it wasn't even in an aggressive stance. In fact, the Pokemon, a Mightyena, seemed completely calm. Silver definitely didn't want to see this Pokemon become mad. Silver glanced at Ace and was surprised to see Ace was still his normal calm self and still holding his aggressive stance.

The Pokemon slowly walked up to them. It stopped in front of them and started to stare at them. Silver almost shook as he watched the powerful Pokemon study them. After a moment, it finally spoke in a gruff voice, "They'll do."

Silver didn't know why the courage came, but he managed to ask, "We'll do what?"

"See, courage to match their stubbornness, they'll fit in with us well. Come, I'll explain as we go," the Mightyena said, turning around.

Silver didn't want to go anywhere with it, but the Pokemon was one you didn't want to disobey without a powerful advantage, especially when it had all these comrades around it. He walked along beside Ace, Flame bringing up the rear. Each Poochyena took a spot to the left, right, and behind them, effectively surrounding them. The flying Pokemon took flight and perched on top of one of the buildings. Silver inwardly sighed. They had just gotten free just a little bit ago.

The Mightyena didn't look back as he started talking. "I'll begin. Recently, a war between Pokemon has started in the city. All the wild Pokemon that live in the city are now fighting for one of two fractions, one led by me, Mark, and one led by an Arcanine called Dereck. Each side was pretty much equal, so we're enlisting more Pokemon, namely every Pokemon not captured in the city. The humans do not care about what happens, as long as they don't see it, and it doesn't involve them. We saw you come from the forest, so you're not with a human. Now, I'm letting you join."

"What if we don't want to join?" Ace asked boldly. Silver wanted to slap him right then for asking such a dangerous question.

"You've got more courage than most asking that, which makes you valuable partners. The answer to your question is if you don't join, then you're not on our side, which means you're an enemy. That's a bad situation for an enemy to be in the heart of our territory," Mark answered, letting their imagination work the rest out.

Ace had enough sense to keep quiet this time, to the relief of Silver. Mark led them down twisting alleys and soon, Silver was completely lost. He had hoped to remember a way out, but there was no chance of that with all the twists and turns.

Finally, they stopped at what appeared to be a meeting place. About thirty Pokemon were sitting, or perching in the bird Pokemon's case, around a large box in the center. The area was just large enough for everyone to sit around without brushing pelts.

"We're about to have a meeting. Sit down anywhere you like, but first," Mark said, lowering his head to Silver. Silver closed his eyes, afraid of what Mark would do. He opened them when he felt a weight lift off of him. He saw Mark throwing his Oran berry sling to a Poochyena. "Those are our provisions now," he said, leaving them. He headed straight for the box that was in the middle. He leapt onto it and faced the crowd. Silver was amazed the old box could hold the large Pokemon's weight.

Seeing the only exits were blocked off, they sat at the edge of the crowd. The Pokemon shifted restlessly around them as they waited for Mark to start. Silver kept looking back over at his Oran berry sling, but it was being sorted away with a few other supplies.

Silver's attention went back to Mark as he began. "As you all know, Dereck has been pushing at the lines, trying to gain the advantage. As you make your rounds, make sure not to let them think we'll be pushed back. The final battle will be coming soon; I can feel it. Get ready, for soon we will win!" he finished. The Pokemon around him started cheering as he jumped off the box and pushed his way through to the exit opposite the one Silver had come in.

The Pokemon got up and started to trail off into certain exits. Silver, Ace, and Flame simply stayed where they were, unsure of what to do. Silver was just to suggest trying to get away, when a red Pokemon walked up. Silver knew it was a Vulpix by its six tails and signature head fur.

"I'm guessing you guys are new," it stated as it came up.

Silver nodded at its question.

The Vulpix glanced around and then said, "I'll show you where you'll be resting."

Silver was unsure of following anyone, but he could do with some rest, especially if they would be stuck here long. The Pokemon here didn't seem to get much sleep at all. The Vulpix started away and took them into another alleyway. This one branched off several times, but each one had a dead end with one or two Pokemon lying down.

Finally, they arrived at a wall, the last two branching sections to their left and right. Both of them were empty. The Vulpix turned right and they followed it to the end. Silver soon saw why these were empty. There was some king of large green and black box taking up half of the pathway, near the end. There were bits and pieces of broken glass everywhere that Silver was careful to not step on.

At the end of the alley was a high wall that, even with its many paw holds, would be almost impossible to climb. The ground was hard underpaw, making Silver think they would get no rest. The Vulpix nodded toward the wall and said, "This is where you'll be staying." And with that, it turned to leave.

"Wait," Ace said, making her stop. "Will you tell us what's going on here?"

The Vulpix glanced around before nodding and coming back. It sat down on the ground and the others followed suit. As Silver thought, the ground was way too uncomfortable to be able to rest on. "Why did you come here?" the Vulpix asked.

"We were forced here," Ace said angrily.

The Vulpix paused a little before quietly asking, "Can I trust you?"

Silver was a little surprised at the question. "We don't even know your name," he pointed out.

"Can I trust you?" she repeated quietly.

Silver exchanged glances with the others, but figured they had nothing to lose. They nodded together.

"I'm Sara," she introduced. "What's happening here is a battle between two Pokemon that are fighting for various reasons. Most Pokemon, at least under Mark, think it is to rule over the city Pokemon. Some think that the true reason is because they just like to fight. However, few, besides the Pokemon under Dereck, know that the real reason is that their fighting over a female. Mark took in a mate, but left her to try to survive on her own when she became pregnant. Dereck found her and took pity. He took her in and cared for her. Soon enough, they became mates.

"Mark then wanted her back, but she refused. He took the refusal badly and is now trying to get revenge by attacking Dereck. However, Dereck was highly respected and several Pokemon stood up for him. When Dereck started to draft Pokemon from the city, Pokemon went to Dereck both to help and get protection. Now, Mark and Dereck battle constantly.

"Soon, though, they'll be starting what they're calling the 'last battle.' Mark is going to take all his available Pokemon and charge at Dereck, trying to finish it. He actually thinks he defeat Dereck that way," she said, snorting at that point.

Silver and the others were silent all the way through, but Silver spoke up at the end of her explanation. "Why is that? Won't Mark surprise Dereck, giving him the advantage?" he asked.

"Ah, but he won't have the advantage of surprise," she said, grinning.

"Which confirms that you are a spy," Ace said simply.

Silver looked at him, surprised, before looking back at Sara. "Yes, I am," she said.

"Could you help us get out of here?" Silver asked hopefully.

Sara shook her head sadly. "I can't for they guard new members too closely. However, you won't have to wait too long before they do that last battle. I'll make sure to tell them about you. All you need to do is not attack Dereck's members and they won't attack you. That's the most I can do for you," she said.

She was about to turn to leave, when Ace asked, "Why are you battling?"

She paused a moment, surprised, before saying, "Personal reasons." She quickly left, obviously not wanting to answer any more questions like that.

There was silence for a little while they just sat there on the hard, rocky ground. Finally, Silver asked the one question they all had. "What do we do now?"


	6. Surburban Wars, Part 2

**Author's Note: **The second part to this renovated chapter and the last one that I had a copy of. After this, all the chapters until 13 will be done simply from memory. Hope it doesn't fail me now. -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 6: Suburban Wars, Part 2** -

Silver and the others had a hard day as they were forced to stay in their small alley. It wasn't long before the alley across from them got occupants, though they didn't speak to each other. They tried to lay and rest, but the ground just didn't allow them to. Also, they weren't fed the entire time, making Silver rather hungry.

Silver tried to pass some time watching the sky, but an almost transparent cloud seemed to cover the sky, blocking out the real colors of the sky and sun. Also, there was a reek that lingered on the place and made Silver wonder how these Pokemon lived here. Eventually, the sun was going down, the beautiful sunset blocked both by the strange cloud and the buildings.

Flame went and curled up in one of the corners of the alley, seeming to not notice the hard ground. Ace simply laid on the ground, not caring about the ground since he was a Ground type Pokemon. If it wasn't for the stones in the ground, Ace would have been able to use Dig to get them away. However, it appeared they would be staying for at least this night.

Silver inwardly winced as he curled down on the ground, the stones poking into his side. There was nothing else to lie on unless he wanted to get on the box that reeked or the glass. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but sleep was long in coming. He was awake for hours, trying to sleep. Several Flying type Pokemon kept passing overhead in the middle of the night, but Silver still concentrated on sleeping. Eventually, his body was too tired to stay awake and finally fell asleep.

(0)

Silver woke up stiff and uncomfortable. The sun seemed dull overhead as he slowly got up. He looked around and saw that Flame and Ace were already awake and just sitting there. Silver wondered what would happen to them today.

Silver's stomach took that moment to complain about its status. Silver sighed as he sat down next to Ace and Flame, the ground not affecting him as much now that he had managed to sleep on it. They stayed there, mostly silent as they waited for something to happen. Silver wasn't sure whether he wanted something to happen or not.

Finally, a Poochyena came around the corner and approached them. "Hey, you three," it started, "It's time to test you. Come with me."

Silver didn't know what test it was talking about, but he reluctantly followed it anyway. Ace and Flame walked along beside him as they went back down the alley they had come down before. Soon, they were back in the small clearing where Mark had talked to all the Pokemon before. Mark was there, along with a few milling about Pokemon.

"It's the three newbies," Mark greeted, the grin scaring Silver more than his clam expression. "Now it's time to test to see if you're really any good," he said.

"Test?" Ace asked.

"It's basically the initiative for all the-" Mark started. However, he was interrupted as a heavily breathing Pidgey landed next to him. The Pidgey was gasping for air and yet trying to talk to Mark at the same moment. "Just say what you have to say," Mark demanded.

The Pidgey took a large breath and managed to say, "Dereck is advancing."

"So, he's finally trying to push us out? Well it won't happen. It's time for the battle. Get everyone ready. We all march soon," Mark ordered. Several Poochyena stopped what they were doing and shot away to follow his orders. Mark turned to Silver and the others. "I guess the battle will be your test. You better fight well, because if you don't, I won't go easy on you when we win," he warned.

Pokemon started to pile in and Silver, Ace, and Flame were pushed forward to right in front of the box. Soon, the whole clearing area was full, even with all the flying Pokemon perched on the roofs. Silver looked around amazed that so many Pokemon followed Mark after what Sara had said.

"The time has come for the battle we've all been preparing for. Now, with our group stronger than ever, we'll crush the enemy!" Mark started. The Pokemon watching him cheered. "They won't stand a chance as we surprise and overwhelm them. Let's go and defeat the enemy once and for all. Move!"

Mark jumped down and led the way out of the area. Everyone followed, though no one tried to pass him. Silver, Ace, and Flame reluctantly followed them out rather than get trampled by all the Pokemon around them. Mark led them out into more alleys, filled with stinking items and bits and pieces of broken stuff. Silver was definitely lost after the first few alleys with all the twists and turns they took. The ground bruised Silver's pads as he walked. Soon, he was leaving small droplets of blood behind as they went. Maybe they could follow that out later.

After about half an hour's walk through the confusing alleyway labyrinth, they arrived at a large clearing, much bigger than the meeting place for Mark's Pokemon. Another exit on the opposite side was soon filled with more Pokemon.

These Pokemon were led by a large red Pokemon that stood proudly with its black stripes and chest. It was an Arcanine, who looked as powerful as Mark, but seemed more . . . gentle. That was the only way Silver could put it. If he really had to choose a side, he would have chosen Dereck's side. He looked like a much better Pokemon. The admiring glances from the other Pokemon proved his point. He was glad to see that Sara was over in the crowd of Dereck's Pokemon, meaning she had told him in time.

Mark stepped forward into the area, as did Dereck. Mark started off in a loud voice, letting it carry with the wind, "This is your last chance Dereck. Either give up, or I'll make you."

"Never," was Dereck's calm reply. He didn't even raise his voice, but Silver was sure everyone had heard him.

Mark leapt at Dereck, howling, and everything became chaos. The bird Pokemon flew off their perches on the building and started an aerial battle, while the land Pokemon of each side flooded into the clearing. The Pokemon leapt at one another, going for deadly wounds.

When they were jostled into the clearing, Silver pulled Flame and Ace into a corner. He had come up with a plan when he saw what was going to happen and whispered quickly, "Now, we'll stay here and defend. Ace, you look for a way out, while Flame and I cover you. No Pokemon gets through, Flame, got it?"

Flame and Ace nodded. Flame turned with Silver and watched for Pokemon coming at them. Flame returned to his battle ready stance. Ace got onto some large, gleaming, silver can in the corner, albeit with some difficulty, and started to search the area.

Flame's back suddenly shot into flame as he opened his mouth. A torrent of flames came out and hit a Persian that jumped toward them. The Persian was scorched and ran, crying out in pain. Flame's back went back to having no flames, but it still was emitting heat and Silver realized that was so his flames would start faster. _Clever,_ Silver thought.

Silver jumped to the side as a Shadow Ball came by. It exploded nearby and shook the can Ace was on, but didn't knock it over, luckily. Silver looked around and saw that no one was targeting them. The attack must have been a dodged attack.

Silver and Flame stayed tense and alert as they waited. They were only targeted once more. The rest of the time they were blocking random attacks. Neither side seemed to be giving at all. In fact, it seemed there were more Pokemon than before. They needed to get away soon.

Silver almost fainted with relief when Ace said, "I found one." Ace jumped down and joined them. Ace slowly led them along the wall until they came to a small crack that Silver wouldn't have seen if Ace hadn't pointed it out. Luckily, it was big enough for Ace, who was the largest of them with his head.

"Flame, stay with me while Ace goes through first. I'll need your help to fend off the Pokemon," Silver said. Ace quickly made his way down the hole, going slowly as not to get stuck or hurt himself.

Silver covered the sight of Ace escaping with his body. He looked the nearby fighters over, watching for anyone to make a move on them. Flame had to keep his flame attacks constant as several more dodged attacks came at them at this angle.

Silver's attention on the crowd stopped as his gaze rested on one individual that he actually recognized; Eve. She was crouching against the opposite the wall, but the fighting Pokemon seemed to separate and allow him to see her for a second. She was cowering in fright under Mark's shadow. Mark started to approach her. Then, the fighting Pokemon got in the way and Silver could see no more.

"Stay here," Silver quickly said, not thinking. All that was on his mind was the Eevee at the moment.

Flame gave him a confused expression, but it was ignored as Silver jumped through the fighting Pokemon. If it was frightening watching the battle, it was terrifying to be under the battle as Silver darted under the legs of the larger Pokemon and around the smaller Pokemon, but he continued. He had to jump over a few bodies on the ground and Silver almost gaged at the sight. One Pokemon nearly collapsed on top of him, blood leaking from a wound. His paws were really starting to ache from all the dodging and weaving he was doing.

Finally, after what seemed like hours in the mad chaos, Silver reached the other wall of the clearing. Mark was standing near Eve. He seemed to very slowly approach the Eevee, enjoying the terror it was causing. Silver knew there was no way he could defeat the Mightyena in a fight of any kind.

Then, a saying that he was sure he had never heard before came to mind: If you can't beat them, join them. It didn't even seem like his mind that was remembering it, but Silver didn't linger on it. He took the saying to heart and came up with a plan.

Silver ran up to Mark, who was between him and Eve, and started to growl, though at Eve instead of Mark. Mark turned at the sound, ready to attack, but recognized the Eevee and grinned. "Well, well, I knew you would be a good addition. Here, this one's yours if you want it so much," Mark said manically. He laughed at the end.

However, Mark didn't leave, but watched for what Silver would do. Eve stared at him with recognition and, what almost broke Silver's heart, betrayal. Knowing he would have to use his complete plan, Silver continued. Since Mark was on his right, he winked at Eve with his left eye, hoping she would catch on.

Silver leapt at Eve and pinned her down, which was easy as she didn't struggle much. He reached down and put his mouth where her throat was and bit down. However, with the mane around her neck and the steel collar, he was able to make it easily look like he had done a death blow without hurting her at all. As his teeth met the steel collar, he felt one tooth go partially in an indent in the middle. At the moment though, all he thought about was if he had convinced Mark.

The Mightyena chuckled evilly and turned back to the battle, attacking the first opponent who came by. As soon as his back was turned, Silver got off Eve. However, as soon as she was free, her back feet came up and hit him in the stomach. Winded, Silver fell to the ground.

A paw rolled him over and Eve pinned him down. The look in her eyes was frightening Silver so much, he felt tears coming to his eyes. Eve stopped, confused, as she saw Silver's expression.

As she paused, Silver took his chance and started, "Wait, I know a way to escape. Let me up."

Eve hesitated and finally let him up. Silver got up and motioned for her to follow him. He charged around the fighters, making sure Eve was following him. Soon, they were back at the crack. Flame was still there, though he was looking tired.

Silver nodded as he got close. Flame was about to attack the Eevee behind Silver, when Silver stopped him, "Wait, she's coming with us. Let her through."

Flame hesitated, but moved. Silver motioned to the wall and Eve hesitantly slipped through. Once she was in completely, Silver motioned for Flame to go in first and followed in after him. The hole ended up being a tunnel to the other side of the building, luckily right by the outskirts of the city.

As Silver came out of the tunnel, he saw Eve struggling under Ace, who was trying to get her with a good attack. "Wait! Don't hurt her!" Silver shouted, darting over to them.

Ace paused at his comrade's request, allowing Eve to shove him off. Eve glanced at Silver for a second, before charging out into the forest. Silver went over to Ace and tried to help him up, though he pushed his help away. "Why did you do that? I almost had her pinned," he demanded.

Silver blinked at Ace's anger, surprised at the outburst. "I got her away from the battle. She wasn't the enemy. There was no reason to attack her," Silver reasoned.

Flame backed up a couple steps, not wanting to join in the fight.

"So what are you, her guardian angel or something? She chose to follow us, but not join us. You almost got us captured trying to help another Pokemon. What were you thinking?" Ace said, almost shouting.

"I was thinking that she was in trouble and that I could help her. What does it matter if I got caught? Flame could easily have went through the tunnel and escaped with you. I risked _my_ life _not_ yours. I was doing what I thought was best," Silver retorted, his temper flaring up.

Ace simply turned away, his anger seeming to roll off him in heat. Flame looked between the two Pokemon, unsure of what to do. Finally, not knowing what else to do, Flame sat down and waited.

After a while, Ace finally turned back to Silver, "Fine, risk your life however you want, but don't count my life with it. Now, let's go before we're caught all over again."

They headed off into the forest, Ace in front, then Flame, and then Silver. The sound of battle could still be heard from the city as Pokemon cried out their battle cries.

**Author's Note:** Hmm, I usually don't make Author's Notes at the bottom, but I didn't want to give anything away in this chapter. For all you old readers, you'll remember this chapter (before it was split into parts) was where my characters first took minds of their own, changing the plot dramatically. I'm still leaving this old Author's Note as a memento and the milestone of when that first happened.


	7. Trust

**Author's Note: **Well, the first chapter that had to be completely rewritten. Sorry for the slight wait. I've been slightly busy at home, so I haven't had as much time as normal to write. Plus, I just got two new books to read, so I've been reading them in my free time. - EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 7: Trust **-

Silver tried thinking of a way to cool things off between him and Ace, but only one idea came to mind: apologizing for saving Eve. That was one thing he wouldn't do. After saving Ace, he had expected some kindness from the Trapinch. However it was the opposite.

_Besides,_ Silver thought,_ He _chose_ to come with _us_. If he doesn't like it, then he can leave as far as I'm concerned._

But Silver knew that was unfair, as was this fight. Flame seemed torn in half with who to support or talk to. In fact, the Cyndaquil seemed to try and avoid them, else the other get mad. Silver wanted to tell him that he didn't care if Flame talked to Ace, but he didn't know what Ace's reaction would be.

Silver sighed. He thought he had understood the two Pokemon, but it seemed it he didn't, not even close. Now he didn't even have anyone to talk to. He didn't even know if Eve was following them anymore. He looked back several times, but he didn't even catch a single glance of the Eevee. For some reason, that seemed to hurt him the most, though he didn't know why.

They continued until night, where they arrived at a large oak tree. The space between two roots was enough for all of them to fit and then some. They split up, looking for berries. Something told Silver that they wouldn't be gathering for each other tonight.

Silver found a berry bush right on the other side of the tree. He was about to shout to the others about his discovery, when he remembered the fight between them. Silver felt even more alone as he picked the bush by himself. He grabbed a few berries and ate quickly, having nothing else to do.

He didn't even notice what berries they were until he tasted them. He looked down and confirmed his guess by the sweet, rich flavor; Pecha berries, berries that were extremely sweet and good for a poisoned Pokemon. He finished what berries he had grabbed and sat in silence for a little.

Then, he couldn't stand the silence anymore and decided to look for Eve. He grabbed a few berries and started back the way they had come. Not wanting to force anything, he walked in the open. He soon heard the rustling of a fern and looked over. A fern was slightly moving in between the roots of a tree. What made him suspicious though, was the fact that there was no wind at the moment.

He sat down in the open and put the berries beside him. He sniffed the air and confirmed that it was Eve that was hiding. He waited a little, and then finally said, "I know you're there."

Eve stepped out of the bush slowly, still looking the same as before. She stayed standing, waiting for him to start.

"Here, I brought these for you," Silver said, nosing the berries to her.

"Why?" she asked cautiously.

"Because I thought you would like them. Also, I wanted some conversation," Silver said.

"What about your two friends, the Trapinch and the Cyndaquil?" she asked, not making a single move toward the berries.

Silver looked away from her intense gaze. "We're in a small fight right now, while the other's trying not to get in it."

"Why?"

"Because whe-" Silver started, looking back at her.

"Not that. Why did you help me?" she asked.

"Because you needed it," Silver answered simply.

She gazed into his eyes for a little and finally snorted. She bent down and sniffed the large, pink berries.

"They're Pecha berries. They're sweet and help with poisonous ailments," Silver informed her.

She sniffed them again and finally started to nibble on one. After a while, she started to eat with normal bites. She made quick work of the berries after that. As she ate, the chain around her neck made a soft clicking sound.

Silver hated to see the horrible steel collar around her neck. While she ate, he tried to think of a way to get it off. He hadn't come up with anything by the time she was done. "Would you like more? I could go get some more," he said.

"No . . . I'm good," she said, though Silver wasn't entirely convinced. She still looked extremely thin to him. "Shouldn't you be getting back to your friends?"

Silver suddenly realized that night was starting to grip the forest. He didn't even notice until now that he was barely able to Eve. "Uh oh, I've got to go. Good bye," he said, starting off back to the tree.

Eve muttered something, and though it was really low, he was sure he heard, "Good bye."

Silver reached the tree without tripping on anything in the dark, luckily. Ace and Flame were already there, though Ace was already sleeping. Flame seemed to have been waiting for him. Flame came up to him as he approached, "D-did you find e-enough?"

Silver was slightly startled that Flame was speaking to him, especially since the fight was still going on, but nodded, "Yeah."

"O-okay then, good night," Flame said, seeming to not know what else to say.

"Wait, Flame?" Silver said.

"Y-yes?" Flame asked.

"You can talk to Ace if you want, if won't bother me," Silver told, seeing the chance to make peace appear.

Flame looked slightly startled that Silver said this, but nodded and turned in for the night. Silver soon joined him, his thoughts strangely only on Eve.

(0)

Silver woke up and saw that Ace was already awake, while Flame was slowly getting up. Silver yawned and stretched to shake off his tiredness. As soon as he was done, Ace started to head out. Flame and Silver followed him, the same awkward silence from yesterday appearing.

However, Silver didn't mind this time. The silence seemed to help him think. At first, his mind just wondered from subject to subject, but they finally rested on Eve. He couldn't tell why, but his mind just started thinking about her. He remembered how he had last seen her; the look of loneliness in her eyes, her fur still matted and stained, that chain still around her neck. Silver wanted to help her somehow, but he didn't know how.

His thoughts once again came to that chain on her neck. Maybe there was some way to get it off. If they put it on her, then there had to be a way to get it off. Silver remembered how he had felt the small space that was in the chain. If it was a lock thing like on the cage he had been in, then using that small metal item might open it. However, he didn't have one of the small metal things. Would he be able to improvise? He didn't have claws, but his teeth were pointed. However, he definitely knew that he wouldn't be able to get Eve to trust him enough to get that close. He needed a different idea.

Silver's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as his nose painfully rammed into something. Startled back to reality, he realized he had walked into a tree. He shook his head and looked around for the others. Luckily, they were a little ways ahead and had not seen his blunder.

Silver got up and caught up to them. This time, he made sure to watch where he was going, though his thoughts still stayed on Eve.

(0)

It wasn't long before they stopped for the night. Silver paused, but Ace just left to find food without saying a word. Flame simply looked away and walked off to find himself some food. Silver sighed, frustrated at the fight still going on.

Silver walked off and quickly sniffed out a few berries. He gathered enough for him and Eve and set off back down the way they had come to look for her. He thought that he might have found a way to get the collar off Eve, but he was unsure if it would work.

After a little searching, Silver finally found Eve again. She was instantly on guard when she saw him, making Silver mentally sigh. If she was going to be this suspicious, there wasn't even a slight possibility of getting the collar off.

"D-do you mind if I eat with you? I brought some berries for you," Silver said, pushing hers forward.

Eve looked hesitantly at the berries, before nodding slightly. Silver nudged the berries closer and Eve slowly took them. As Silver ate, he watched as Eve sniffed the berries slightly and then began to eat them. An awkward silence prevailed as they ate their meal.

When Silver finished, he looked around until he found a suitable twig. He waited until Eve finished before he told her his idea. "I think I've found a way to get that steel thing off you," he said.

A sudden glint of surprise and happiness entered her eyes, but she hesitated. "Why are you trying to help me?" she asked, confused.

"Because I want to," Silver explained.

Eve stared at him a little, not completely convinced of his explanation. Finally, she hesitantly asked, "How do you think you can get this thing off?"

"Well, I'm not certain of it," Silver began uneasily, "But there's a small hole in the side. The humans back there used a small metal piece to open things like that, so if I used a small twig, I might be able to get it open."

Eve sat there a few seconds, taking it in, before she asked, "C-could you do that?"

Silver nodded and picked up the twig he had picked out with his mouth. He slowly approached Eve. She tensed slightly, but lowered her head to allow him to see it better. Now that he was able to look at it, he saw that there was a small hole. Taking the end of the twig, he pushed it into the hole. After wiggling it around a little, there was a quiet clip and the collar suddenly opened. They jumped as it swiftly fell off, narrowly missing their feet.

Eve shook her head a little, her mane now moving back where the collar had been. "T-thank you," Eve whispered, smiling at him.

Silver smiled back, glad he could help. Glancing at the sky, he realized it was late. "I've got to go," Silver said.

"Umm, Silver?" Eve said, stopping him.

"Yes?" Silver asked.

"M-my name is Eve," she said, not meeting his eyes.

"Okay, then," Silver replied, beaming. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," Eve replied loud enough for him to hear.

Silver got back to the others and saw that both of them were already asleep. Curling up on a patch of grass, Silver smiled at how he had finally gained Eve's trust. He fell asleep soon after his eyes closed.

(0)

Silver was the last to wake the next morning. The other two were already getting ready to go. Stretching, Silver got up and they headed out. As they went, the scenery around them started to change. The large amounts of trees around them started to get sparser. Undergrowth became less and less noticeable. Soon, Silver could feel the grittiness of sand pressing against the pads of his feet as they walked.

The sun hadn't even reached its apex when they left the last few trees behind. Silver could suddenly see much farther than before. In the distance was a yellowish field that met up with the horizon. Small gray things could be seen sticking out of the ground here and there. Silver realized it was sand and rocks as they continued on.

The grass started to become meager, the sand now dominating the area. Silver grumbled to himself as the small grains rubbed against his paws and got caught between his toes. He tried avoiding the sand whenever he could by walking on any smooth rocks or shoots of grass he could find.

Ace and Flame didn't appear to mind the sand. In fact, both of them seemed to enjoy it. Flame seemed oddly excited, and it took Silver a moment to remember that he had lived in an area like this. Maybe Ace really did know where he was going.

Silver glanced back a few times, but didn't see Eve anywhere as they headed out into the sandy area. As he went, he found himself hoping that Eve would still be coming along.


	8. Sand

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the slight wait, but I've been reading a lot lately from all my new books and a few new fan fics. It turns out reading too much can be bad for I just wanted to continue to read only. But, I forced myself to sit and finish this chapter out for everyone. -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 8: Sand** -

Silver's opinion on sand continued to get lower and lower as they traversed the shifting land. As the sun rose higher, the sand began to heat up, almost burning the pads on his feet. The point that his long fur seemed to absorb the heat from the sun didn't help.

Ace and Flame continued normally, not seeming to notice the heat at all. Then again, Flame was a Fire type Pokemon. Silver walked wearily behind them, the grass patches he had been using to relief his feet earlier now gone.

Silver glanced back, but didn't see Eve anywhere behind them. Silver sighed and continued following his two companions. The heat made talking too exhausting, even if Ace and him weren't fighting. Besides, Silver felt too parched from all the heat.

Soon, they paused as they reached a small path in the middle of the sand. Silver knew that the path was human made. Straight dirt roads don't just naturally appear in deserts. Ace turned and led them alongside it, though he kept a little distance between them and the road.

Silver was just about to ask if there was water nearby, when a wind started to kick up. He half way closed his eyes as sand was blown up around them. As the wind changed from one direction to the next, Silver's fur was blown all around. Soon, so much sand was flying in the air, he lost sight of both Flame and Ace. Not knowing what to do, Silver hunkered down against the ground.

The wind continued its tempest, covering Silver's fur with the gritty sand and making Silver badly itch. As it continued, Silver was sure he heard strange sounds nearby, but couldn't see anything in the storm. After a long while, the wind eventually died down, though sand still slowly drifted around in the air.

Silver slowly got up and shook the worst of the sand off of him, though sand still stubbornly stuck to most of his fur. He saw Flame nearby in a curled position. Flame got up and shook himself, throwing most of the sand off of him. His shorter fur didn't allow the sand to hold on as much.

Silver didn't see Ace for a second, but finally saw him. Ace was about halfway to the human path, facing off with a human. Across from him and next to the human was a small, rock-like Pokemon floating slightly off the ground. It was a Geodude.

Ace was breathing quickly. By the bruises on him and the Geodude, Silver realized they had been fighting. Flame had also seen it and Silver could feel heat coming off of Flame's back as he prepared for battle.

"Geodude, use Tackle," the human ordered, reminding Silver that it was here.

The Geodude followed his instructions and rushed at Ace. However, Ace sidestepped it and hit it with a Tackle of his own, ramming it into the sand. The Geodude grunted and started to try and wiggle his way out. The human yelled at it to get up all the while.

Flame's back erupted into a blaze as he shot a stream of fire at the Geodude. It had just out of the sand when the flames hit it and threw it back against the ground. For a second, his brown body glowed a reddish tint that quickly left after Flame stopped cooking it.

Deciding to join in, Silver rushed in when Flame was done. The Geodude seemed irritated when it saw that a third opponent had appeared. Silver rammed into the Geodude in a Tackle. He belatedly realized that a Geodude was basically a rock as his forehead hit its hard skin. He quickly backed away using his back paws, while rubbing his head quickly with his front paws.

Luckily, the Geodude didn't have time to counter as small stars shoot past and hit it. Silver used the moment to back out of range of the Geodude's reach. He ended up beside Flame again and nodded a thank you as he stopped.

"Geodude, use Defense Curl and then Rollout," the human yelled.

The Geodude obliged and curled into a ball. Silver paused, unsure of what it was doing, before the Geodude started to spin. The Geodude fell onto the ground and started to head toward Silver and Flame. A trench was left behind where its spinning had dug down into the sand.

Silver and Flame split to either side as the Geodude rushed past. It turned and started to head toward Ace, though it seemed to be going slightly faster. Like its first attack, Ace once again side stepped and then tackled it in the side.

"Keep up the Rollout!" the trainer ordered.

The Geodude continued to spin as it was thrown through the air. It landed on the sand and started heading toward Ace once again, this time much faster. Ace seemed to crouch in preparation, though it was hard to tell with his body. He then grinned as the Geodude got closer.

"Is this all you can do?" he taunted.

The Geodude rushed at him, but Ace moved at the last second. However, the Geodude stopped moving as it came next to Ace. Faster than Silver thought it could move, it had grabbed Ace using only one hand on his head. Ace was lifted off the ground, his small legs squirming as he tried to get back down.

Silver rushed forward to try to help. Other than his Tackle, he really only had one other damaging attack. He focused his muscles in his tail, forcing them to become stiffer than normal. Soon, Silver could feel his energy inside his tail ready. He leapt at the Geodude as he got close and swung around, his tail the Geodude's face. The Geodude instantly let go of Ace and dropped to the sandy ground.

Silver stood there, stunned for a second. He hadn't realized he would do so much damage. However, his attention snapped back to the present as the Geodude disappeared in a flash of red. "Fine, then I'll go with Vaporeon!" the trainer yelled, as though agitated for some reason. He threw a small sphere and it released something in a flash of red.

The Pokemon was blue and had a close body shape to Silver's, though it was larger than him. The Pokemon had a fin like collar around its head, with a small, dark blue spine ridge down to its fin like tail. Silver knew it was a Vaporeon, the Water type evolution of Eevee like him.

"Vaporeon, use Water Gun on the Trapinch," the trainer ordered.

Silver had tensed for fighting again, but hesitated when the trainer purposefully ordered to attack Ace. The Vaporeon opened its mouth and shot a watery stream of water toward where Ace had been. Silver blinked when he saw that Ace wasn't there. The stream of water hit the ground, making the sand turn a slightly darker brown and form a sort of paste like mud. He glanced around quickly, but couldn't see Ace anywhere.

Shaking off his confusion, Silver ran at the Vaporeon, ready to fight. However, the Vaporeon jumped to the side, making him miss. The Vaporeon growled at him and raised its tail to whack him, when several small stars hit it in the side of the head, distracting it.

Silver suddenly heard a shifting sound and looked down to see some of the sand shifting around the Vaporeon's back legs. Ace's head popped out of the sand. He instantly latched onto the Vaporeon's tail. The Vaporeon yelled and started to slam Ace into the ground with its tail. However, the sand easily shifted as Ace hit, allowing him to keep his grip.

"Vaporeon, Hydro Pump," the trainer commanded. "Get it off you."

The Vaporeon opened its mouth to blast at Ace, but Ace let go and went back down into the safety of the ground. The Vaporeon was just about to the launch the blast of water at the hole, when Flame plowed into its side. The Vaporeon went off aim, and the large torrent of water that it shot soaked the ground all around it. Flame moved back out of range before the Vaporeon could retaliate.

Silver took the moment to run and hit it in the side with a Tackle. He didn't seem to do much, though, as he bounced off its side. Silver turned to move out of range, only to trip. He looked back to see that his paw had sunk into the wet sand. Silver jerked his leg to pull it out, but the Vaporeon put a paw on it, holding him down and stopping him from escaping.

"One more Hydro Pump," the human said.

The Vaporeon opened its mouth, the large burst of water already being prepared. The ground shifted nearby and Silver saw Ace crawl out of the sand a little bit away. Ace glanced at him and just stood there. Silver growled when he saw Ace willingly do nothing. He looked back at the Vaporeon and tried to hit it with his tail. However, his tail couldn't reach it while he was stuck on the ground.

Right before the Vaporeon launched the attack, Flame ran into its side. The Vaporeon moved some, but still shot the attack. Most of the attack missed, but Silver stilled got drenched on half his body and felt wet sand already sticking to his fur.

The Vaporeon had left go of Silver's leg, allowing him to pull his leg out of the sand. As he moved out of range, he had to limp a few steps. However, his leg was soon back to normal. He looked around and saw that Flame had moved out of range, also. Ace was still where he had appeared. The Vaporeon was still ready to battle, though it looked a little tired.

"Vaporeon, use Water Pulse on all of them," the trainer said.

The Vaporeon formed three rings made of water. The rings seemed to spin slightly as it made them. The rings moved forward and then split, one heading for each of them. Silver turned and ran a little until it was obvious that it was going to catch him. As the spinning ring got closer, Silver realized how to dodge and simply leapt through the center of the ring. It tried to close as he passed through, but he made it out without getting hit.

Silver looked over to see that Ace and Flame had both been hit, though. Flame looked the worst for wear, his back extinguished and having to take deep breath. One eye was slightly shut and Silver wondered how the attack had done so much damage.

Ace had looked better, but still ready to battle. Even as Silver watched, Ace rushed forward and bit onto one of the Vaporeon's ear. The Vaporeon shook its head quickly and Ace was thrown off, his grip not as good as before. Ace stood back up and seemed to crouch once more.

"Vaporeon, finish this with Water Gun," the trainer ordered.

Ace just stood there as the Vaporeon opened its mouth and shot a small burst of water at him. Silver started forward, but froze as Ace just simply disappeared right before the water made contact. Silver was starting to worry until Ace somehow reappeared behind the Vaporeon. It had no idea where Ace was until he suddenly latched onto its tail once again. This time, he lifted the Vaporeon and tossed it before it could try to shake him off. The Vaporeon groaned and fainted as it hit the sand.

Silver watched in amazement as the human just made the Vaporeon go into the small sphere with a flash of red. "This is almost too much effort. If you guys want to gang up, then I'll just have to send out two. Go, Cacturne! Spinda!" the human shouted as he threw another small sphere. After the flash of red, a large, towering green Pokemon appeared. There were spikes covering its body and had a green cap like object on its head.

Then the human threw a second orb. This one released the Pokemon closer to Silver and Flame. A small cream colored Pokemon came out, spinning as it made its entrance. When it posed at the end of its spin, Silver could see red spots on its body, while it had a swirl like pattern for eyes.

"Cacturne, you focus on the Trapinch. Spinda, keep those Pokemon busy," the human ordered.

The Spinda bowed to its trainer, though its feet were still moving for some reason. It then turned to face Silver and Flame. Its arms were held out for balance as its feet constantly kept it moving. "Let's dance," it suddenly said. It gave a twirl and posed before it started moving around again.

Silver was confused on what it was doing, but then rushed forward and tried to hit it. However, it moved to the side just in time to let him sail past and fall into the sand. He got up to see Flame land next to him as he also missed.

Silver clenched his teeth and tried to hit the Spinda again. But, the result stayed the same and Silver missed again. He turned around to see the Spinda had stopped moving and was holding its arms to one side.

Suddenly, a small, purple orb appeared between its hands. It threw its arms forward and the sphere flew toward him. Silver prepared for impact, but gasped as the ball went through him. The Spinda frowned, obviously not expecting this. Silver looked back to see where the attack had gone to see it hit the sand and explode, sending a spray of sand over him and straight into his eyes.

Silver cried out and crouched down as to reach his eyes with his paws. However, his paws couldn't quite reach, leaving him partly blinded. With his foggy vision, he half saw Flame tried to hit the Spinda again just to miss. Flame got back up and turned around. He shot out the small stars that he could use and they went sailing toward the Spinda. They missed as it danced around them, but they sailed back around and hit the Spinda on the second pass.

The Spinda stumbled and fell to one knee. While it was down, Flame's back came ablaze as he used Flamethrower again. Wanting to help, Silver stumbled next to him and touched his side with his snout. He felt his energy poured into Flame, doubling the size of the Flamethrower, as Silver used Helping Hand. The large torrent of flames covered the Spinda. When Flame finally stopped the attack, the Spinda had fainted, several patched of fur burnt off.

As Flame turned to look for Ace, Silver continued to try to get the sand out of his eyes. The gritty molecules were making his eyes burn, forcing tears to come to the surface. Luckily, the sand grew damp and was washed away as the few tears fell, clearing his eyes.

Silver heard Flame gasp and turned to see the Cacturne standing over an unconscious Ace. Silver was only able to take one step forward before a sphere suddenly hit Ace, pulling him into the device.


	9. Friends

**Author's Note:** Man, I found my personal ticket out of writer's block. I exercise just a little (I was forced) and all the writer's block vanishes. My blood's a pumping and I'm ready to write a few chapters! Although, I can't stand up which is preventing me from leaving the computer . . . that might explain my readiness, also. Well, whatever works, right? Now that I finished a whole chapter in one sitting, I'm going to indulge my pulsing legs. I can literally hear my heartbeat in them (I've got to find a way out of my family's new exercise sessions). Finally, I got a jumbo amount of reviews in less than a day for "Silver", so I'm in a great mood (probably the only way my family got me to join in). -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 9: Friends** -

Silver and Flame couldn't move as the small Pokeball fell to the ground. It shook a little on the sand before it finally clicked. Silver didn't know what it meant, but Flame's shoulders fell as it did; Silver took it as a sign that that was bad.

The human walked over to the Pokeball and picked it up. He grinned and put it on his belt. He then turned toward Silver and Flame, frowning as he saw his Spinda defeated. He returned it and clipped it onto his belt. He then paused, staring at us. He seemed to murmur something to himself before he finally said, "Cacturne, use Mean Look; don't let that Eevee escape."

Silver started to back up as he realized that the human was talking about him. The Cacturne stepped forward and stared at Silver. Somehow, Silver's eyes seemed to move up and lock with the Cacturne's. He felt a strange presence seem to try to hold him in place, but pushed it away. Silver shook his head, helping him to break contact with the Cacturne.

"Shoot, it has the Run Away ability; Mean Look won't work on it. Hold it down with-" the human started.

Before he could finish, Flame stepped forward, his blaze getting higher, and shot a surge of fire toward the Cacturne. The Pokemon screamed as it was instantly set ablaze. It waved its arms and run out of Flame's attack, flames eating away on its body.

The human cursed and returned the battered Pokemon. He pulled out another Pokeball and threw it. However, this one was thrown toward Silver instead of on the ground. Shock seemed to freeze Silver's muscles, keeping him in place as the ball sailed toward him. Right before the ball hit him, Flame jumped in front of him. The Pokeball hit him and shot its red beam over his form. However, Flame stayed as the beam disappeared. The Pokeball dropped to the ground, still open.

The human stood there stunned, before growling and stomping onto the sand. He then walked off and back onto the path, quietly cursing and kicking up dust and sand as he went. He didn't seem to care that he had left the Pokeball behind.

Silver sat down on the sand, still stunned and confused. Flame stopped the flames on his back, though he kept watching where the trainer had left. "Uh, w-why were you not captured?" he finally asked.

Flame sat down beside him. "Captured Pokemon cannot be recaptured. I'm already a trainer's Pokemon."

Silver nodded and then sighed. "So what do we do now? Ace was our guide."

Flame paused for a little before answering, "Well, I-I think I used to live near here. I was near a path like this, so i-if we follow it, we might find my trainer."

Nodding, Silver got up. Flame got up as well, though he didn't look too confident. "Don't worry; we're already lost so we can't go the wrong way," Silver said encouragingly. Then again, that was actually discouraging on second thought.

Flame nodded, a little more confidence now showing. He started to head the way we had been heading before. Silver stared at him confused. He could have all the confidence to face down any opponent, but was not confident at all when being a leader or trying to communicate. Maybe him leading would help him get over his fear of it.

As they walked, Silver's adrenaline rush left, leaving him feeling slightly tired. However, Flame looked much worse, though. That water attack had weakened him more than Silver had been. His usual warm back didn't seem to release as much heat as normal. His skin was slightly glittering where it was still wet.

Though Silver was also mostly drenched, neither had to endure being wet for long. The sun, along with the heat dried them quickly, which also made Silver's longer fur puff up some. For Silver though, this was more a curse than a blessing. He would rather have had cool damp fur giving him a few extra pounds of weight to drag, than the damp sand that dried with his fur. Not only would it become clamped onto his hair, it would reach his body as his fur stopped being plastered from his side. The sand rubbed against his body, making his skin tingle and itch. Also, a few grains of sand seemed to be stubbornly stuck in his eyes, making him blink more often to try to get them out. Silver was sure he would never like sand again.

As they walked, Flame seemed to be going slowly faster and faster until Silver almost had to trot to keep up. The scenery never seemed to change. A rock here and there was the only thing to show they were making any progress. Other than the rocks and the road, Silver could just see the sand.

By now, Silver's body reminded him of his thirst. His throat felt dry, and his tongue seemed to be caked into the roof of his mouth. The heat didn't only affect his thirst, though. His body was beginning to sweat, only making him smell worse.

Finally, Silver had had enough of the dry wasteland. "Flame, I can't go-" Silver started, his voice slightly cracking. He stopped as he walked into Flame's back.

After picking himself up, he came around Flame to look at whatever had his attention. In the distance, there was a large black blob. Flame seemed to be trembling beside him.

"Is something wrong, Flame?" Silver asked, concerned.

"That . . . I'm sure that is the . . . it is," he replied.

Silver tilted his head at Flame's gibberish, but shrugged and started forward. He was a good ten feet ahead before Flame snapped to attention and swiftly caught up. "Can you talk now?" Silver asked, his tongue temporarily sticking to the roof of his mouth.

Flame looked blankly ahead at the rock protrusion. Nope.

The rock formation grew as they got closer. When they even a hundred feet, Silver found that the rock formation was not just a huge rock, but a large cave system. There were a multitude of tunnels everywhere along the side. Flame stared at it as though it was the most amazing sight in the world.

"Okay, there's . . . something special about . . . this rock. What is it?" Silver asked, tapping Flame to get his attention.

"Well, this . . . this is where I was c-captured," he almost whispered. "I live near here."

Silver nodded, a large smiled on his face. They were almost there. He opened his mouth to congratulate Flame, only to remember his parched throat. "Uh, is there . . . water here?"

"Yeah, it's just around this turn. I'll show you," he said. Silver made note that his stuttering was disappearing. His stride was also more confident. Maybe being home was the confidence boost he needed.

They went around the rock formation thing a little, before Silver saw a much more beautiful sight. There, right in the shade of several tall, skinny trees, was a large pool of glittering water. The calm, fresh water seemed to call him and he lunged forward. He immediately started to gulp as much as the water as he could. It was more delicious than any other he had ever tasted.

Silver had only barely started to push back his thirst, when someone grabbed him and pulled him away from the precious water.

"I need water," Silver protested, trying to squirm in his captor's grip.

"You need to slow down, or you'll seriously injure your body," Flame said.

Silver calmed down, and Flame finally put him down. Silver more calmly went to the edge of the water, Flame watching him carefully. It took all his willpower not to jump at the water, but he wouldn't get any water if Flame pulled him away. He more slowly lapped at the water, taking pausing when Flame put a paw on his back. He only belatedly realized that Flame had stopped him and ordered him around without stuttering a bit. He was definitely becoming more confident.

When his thirst was sufficiently quenched, he sat back beside Flame under the shade of one of the weird trees that grew around the water. Flame sat outside the shade, the sun's heat basically powering him up. Short grass allowed him to not sit on the irritating sand. However, he was still distracted from all the sand on his body. He longed to jump in the lake and clean some, but didn't want to hold Flame up too much.

However, his willpower failed him, and he leapt into the water. His small body made only a small splash as he dipped down. He shook himself while in the water. The sand started to come off, though not too much. The rest of the sand would need to be scrubbed off with a solid surface to rub against. Silver looked around, but there was only sand banks around, the nearest rock or slab being the rock formation thing itself.

It was only when Silver looked around, that he noticed Flame was gone. He started to panic at first, but then he saw Flame again, neat the rock formation. He was looking at the ground near one of the entrances. From what Silver had heard, that spot was probably where Flame had been captured.

Silver got out of the water and headed over to Flame to comfort him. Flame was staring at a rumbled up part of the ground, as though someone had dug the area to look for something. A small stone sat in the middle, a few symbols on it. All Silver could recognize was what appeared to be a small fire near the top. Somehow, looking at the stone made him feel sad.

"Do you know what this it?" Silver asked, making Flame jump a little.

"No idea. It wasn't here the last time, though. I would remember, for this is the last place I saw here. This is where I was taken from my trainer," Flame murmured. A small tear was forming in his eye.

Silver was about to press against him to comfort him, but remembered that he was still dripping wet, probably not the most comforting hug for a Fire-type. Instead, he nuzzled Flame's side and said, "We'll find him soon. We're almost there."

Flame sighed and nodded. "Let's-" he started.

Silver's head shot up as he heard something nearby. Flame stopped and looked in the direction Silver was looking. Soon, Silver was certain that he was hearing footsteps; human footsteps. "Someone's coming," Silver warned.

"I'm already captured, so I'm okay. I'll stay here and . . . think. You should go hide in one of the tunnels until they leave," Flame said, still looking at the small stone in puzzlement.

Silver nodded, once again surprised that Flame wasn't nervous anymore. Silver quickly slipped into the tunnel they were in front of. A rock near the entrance allowed Silver to hide and yet stay close by.

Soon, the sound grew louder as it finally started around the rock formation. Silver held his breathe as the person seemed to be heading straight toward them. Flame didn't look up as the human finally came into view. It paused as it saw Flame, but continued coming toward Flame. The human was holding something in his hands that Silver suspected to be flowers from the smell wafting from it.

The human came right up to Flame and crouched down next to him. Flame still didn't seem to notice it until the human put the flowers down in front of the stone. Flame jump high in the air in fright, over the human's head. Silver definitely liked his heightened senses more than Flame's. How could one not notice a human crouching down next to you?

Flame turned around, still frightened as the human laughed a little. Suddenly, both of them froze. After a while, the human's mouth started moving, though no sound was coming out. Flame's back was now to Silver, hiding his expression from view.

Then, to Silver's utter surprise, Flame leapt up and into the human's arms, the human eagerly grabbing him. The human stood up and began to swing in a circle, letting out a loud laugh. "Flame? I-I though . . . Where have you been? Never mind; it doesn't matter now! You're back!" the human yelled laughing. Silver saw tears openly flowing down the human's cheeks. This was a giant difference from the other humans he had seen. This was the first to show actual compassion and genuine happiness. However, Silver stayed back, unsure of what to do.

The human collapsed on the ground, leaning against the rock formation. This put them slightly out of view, but Silver could still hear them. Flame was nuzzling the human's cheek as the human began to lazily pet it.

"I can't . . . I can't believe this. You're here and okay," the human said, sighing. "I wish you could tell me what happened to you." Flame nuzzled him again and the human smiled. "Just please don't leave again. I was so worried."

Flame nodded and laid back on his trainer and they both looked at the sky. Silver waited a little, but he finally lost patience and came out. When Silver stepped out, Flame looked over and saw him. He quickly jumped off his trainer and came over. "Look, Silver!" he exclaimed, pointing at his trainer.

The trainer in question was looking over at Silver. When he saw Silver looking, the trainer froze. "I take it this is your trainer," Silver commented.

"Yes, Silver; I've finally back!" he said, emotions pouring out through his voice. This was the happiest and most open Silver had ever seen Flame.

"I saw-" Silver began, smiling back.

A crunch interrupted him. Silver looked back at Flame's trainer to see that he was standing up. He froze again as Silver looked at him. The human used only side of his mouth to whisper, "Flame, that's an Eevee."

Silver couldn't help it; he burst out laughing. Flame tilted his head at his trainer's actions. The human tilted his head back, and a look of understanding seemed to flood over Flame.

"Flame, get ready," the human whispered again, as though Silver couldn't hear.

Silver looked over at Flame, to see that Flame was staring him down, slightly crouched. Silver could tell that his back was starting to heat up. Silver took a tentative step back from the two, not liking their expressions.

"Flame, Tackle," Flame's trainer ordered, now talking at a normal level.

Flame suddenly charged at Silver. Even though Flame wasn't going all out, Silver was too stunned to dodge and was thrown back from the impact. When he fell on the ground, he was finally able to react.

"What was that for!" Silver yelled.

"I'm following my trainer's orders. He wants to capture you," Flame explained calmly.

Silver's eyes bulged at the statement. He took a hesitant step back. "Uh, I-I'm not sure I want to be captured," Silver admitted, taking another step.

Flame frowned at his comment. "Being captured is a great thing," he protested.

"Flame, Tackle again," his human commanded.

Flame once again charged at Silver, though Silver once again saw that he was moving slower than before. Silver dodged to the right this time, and Flame went past him a few feet before stopping.

"Flame, you can do better than that!" Flame's trainer yelled.

"He's right. I'm not going all out, yet," Flame agreed. "I want to let you have a chance just to join. We don't have to fight." He sounded wistful, but was still determined.

"That's right; we don't have to fight," Silver said. "But I don't to be captured right now."

Flame sighed; his face showed disappointment and sadness, but only for a moment. Then, resolution and determination took over. Silver was stunned, for he couldn't see any of the Flame he remembered from before.

"Flame, use Flamethrower," his trainer commanded.

Without another word, Flame's back went ablaze with fire. A torrent of flames came out, straight for Silver. Silver leapt to the right and avoided the flames, though he felt the intense heat coming from it. Taking a deep breathe, Silver leapt at Flame. Flame was thrown back, his flames finally stopping. However, he flipped back up, seemingly unharmed.

"I'm stronger than you normally. I know you're holding back. You'll have no chance if you hold back," Flame stated.

"I don't want to fight!" Silver yelled back. He was barely holding back tears as he stared at Flame. Where was his friend, his traveling companion?

"Flame, Tackle," the human said.

Flame charged at Silver. Silver dived to the right in order to dodge the much faster Tackle. His soaked fur wasn't helping his speed. Silver quickly looked around for a way to run, but found himself hemmed in. Flame was in front of him, while the trainer was behind. The lake on his right and the rock formation on his left blocked his other sides.

_Wait . . . the lake!_ While the lake wasn't big, it was still water. Flame had shown his unwillingness to go near water. All Silver would have to do is swim and he could escape without fighting.

"Flamethrower," the human repeated.

Flame opened his mouth, not allowing Silver the chance to just run. The torrent of fire came at him, but Silver didn't watch it. Instead, he darted to the right, toward the lake. However, Flame had noticed that Silver had repeatedly dodged to the right, and had moved the fire in that direction. He didn't know Silver had just chosen to run, but Silver had moved to the right again, confirming Flame's guess.

Silver screamed as the flames consumed him. The fire burned, even with his fur wet. He could see his fur signing badly as the fire attack burned him. It could have been five seconds or five minutes before Silver was finally released from the flames. He fell heavily on his side, groaning as his burned side touched the ground. His vision had started to have black spots on it as he simply stared ahead. He opened his mouth and let out a soundless howl, the pain taking over. The pain only seemed to increase, especially while the sun beat down on his side. Even breathing was painful as his sides rose and fell.

The world had already begun to spin when he saw it. His vision had grown cloudy, and he could barely see, but his little sight and still intact hearing noticed it as it came. The small white and red sphere flew at him. Right before Silver's eyes closed and he fell in unconsciousness, he saw a flash of brown and then a bright red light, blinding his already weakened vision.


	10. True Friends

**Author's Note:** Chapter ten is finally done; only a few more chapters before I get to the chapters I already have. After that, I'll be caught up and will be starting off with fresh chapters. Also, I've already changed a few things that will happen later on, changing the whole end of the story. Inspiration came come at any time. -EeveeInHeat

**Poll: **It's been a while since I had one of these up. So, with the end of "Silver" in sight, at least for me, I've been wondering what idea to work on next. Since I'm unable to decide fully on one or the other, I've put up a poll for my readers to choose what they want. Check it out on my Profile and make your vote.

**Silver**

- **Chapter 10: True Friends** -

Silver was floating in a black void. Unlike sleeping, this void seemed actually empty and yet full at the same time. Silver could feel and yet not feel the empty yet full void. He couldn't explain it, but he could. There was no light, but every part of his body was completely visible. The very place seemed to deny reality.

However, Silver recognized this void. Once before, he had fallen from a tree, falling unconscious as he hit the ground. He was in this mysterious void until he had suddenly wakened in his nest, his parents watching him carefully. Silver had forgotten all about it until he was here again.

He was unable to form thoughts as he just drifted there. Without any correlation to time, he did not know how long he was there. Finally, the darkness seemed to fade away. Soon, he was sure that he was able to feel his body again and that his consciousness was coming back.

Silver cracked open an eye, to quickly shut it in pain. The light was too bright at first, but Silver opened his eyes slightly so that they could adjust to the sunlight. It was only then that he felt the pain. His side was aching in pain from the burns; the sand rubbing against it only making it feel worse. There was a slight breeze, though, that cooled him as it hit his side. Silver was sure that there was a winter chill in it.

Deciding to see where he was, he opened his eyes a little further. He could see that he was lying on grass on his side. He was in some kind of clearing, with actual forest trees surrounding it. Other than that, his limited vision didn't see much.

As he laid there, his started to get used to the pains from his burns and pushed them to the back of his mind; he had other things to focus on. _Where am I?_ Silver wondered. _Is this the inside of one of those spheres? Am I dead?_ Silver shivered at the last thought, but pushed it away. He wouldn't still hurt if he was dead, right?

Silver closed his eyes again as he started to get a headache. Not able to do anything else, he just stayed there. It wasn't long before his hunger became apparent. He was also thirsty, though not as much. Plus, sand still covered his body, seeming to coat the side that was against the grass. However, the hunger, thirst, and itch still made his wait harder, as he had nothing to distract himself with and couldn't get the sand off.

Silver's ears twitched as he heard pawsteps. He opened his eyes some to see a Pokemon coming out of the forest area. His eyes opened wider as the Pokemon entered the clearing, even though the light hurt at first. It was an Eevee. Even though he had grown up around a family of Eeveelutions, including his Eevee sister, this one was different, at least to Silver. The Eevee's fur seemed to shine in the sun and flowed around its petite form, the brown a vibrant, rich color. Its tail and mane swished around it as it started coming toward him. Silver was left breathless after seeing it.

The Eevee dropped the berries it had been carrying when it saw Silver. "You're awake," it said, coming over to him. Somehow, Silver thought he recognized the voice, but wasn't sure how. The Eevee looked him over quickly before bringing the berries over. "Eat these."

Silver looked at the berries to see that they were small, blue Oran berries, except for the one lighter blue Rawst berry; good for health and burns. Silver reached forward and grabbed a berry with his mouth. His side flared up in pain slightly as his movements, but he endured it. He slowly began to take small bites out of the Oran berry. Soon, energy was flooding back into his system, the pains in his side leaving. After a while, Silver was able to finish the berries. The pain in his side had completely disappeared, including the burns.

"T-thanks, uh . . ." Silver said, pausing.

The Eevee tilted its head, a small smile on its face. "Eve," she finished.

Then the voice clicked in his head. "Eve!" he exclaimed. "Sorry, I d-didn't recognize you for a s-second."

She continued to smile as she looked down at herself, though she blushed. "I found a lovely pond near here and was able to wash all that off."

Silver looked away nervously as he realized that he was staring. "Uh, where are we?"

"We're back in the edge of the forest," Eve replied.

Silver tried to remember what happened, but all he could remember was the bright red flash. "H-how did I get here?"

Eve shuffled her paws and looked away. "I-I dragged you here. I saw the battle, and I came to help. After the trainer left, I brought you here," she explained. "If you don't mind me asking, weren't you and that Cyndaquil friends?" she asked, looking back up.

Silver sighed as he remembered the incident. "We found his trainer . . . his trainer wanted to capture me, but I didn't want to be captured. So, Flame and I started to fight." Silver paused for a second, before he finally asked, "How did I not get captured?"

Eve lowered her ears at the question. "I . . . stopped the Pokeball," she said, almost whispering.

It took a moment before he realized what this meant. "Wait, then . . . you're a captured Pokemon?" he asked sadly. After three different experiences with humans, he definitely didn't want to have another one.

Eve nodded silently. After that, an awkward silence appeared between them.

When another cold breeze hit him, Silver shivered. Winter was definitely close. The clouds that were starting to gather on the horizon warned of worse weather. "We should get under some shelter," Silver commented, breaking the silence.

Looking around, he chose a larger tree and moved over in between its roots. Eve hesitantly followed him over to it, though she with a slight distance from him. Silver, still tired, curled down where the two roots met the trunk of the tree. Eve laid down as well, and they rested.

"Eve, thank you for helping me," Silver said sincerely, getting Eve's attention. She nodded in response and they fell silent again.

Silver couldn't rest, though. The sand was still itching pretty badly. Sighing, he sat up and began to groom the sand out. He half closed his eyes in disgust as his tongue rubbed against the sand. The sand tasted horrible on his tongue. He detested the how long the process he used took to get sand out of his fur. He lightly went over the few small patches of fur that had been singed off. From all the heat and pain he had been in, he was surprised that he hadn't lost more fur. By the time he had finally finished, he was sure his tongue would always feel like there was sand covering it.

Sighing in contentment, he curled back up again. It wasn't long after he was done before the dark clouds completely covered the sky. Soon, the clouds released their load of snow. The white little flakes drifted down and fell onto the ground. The snow began to slowly collect on the ground. Silver glanced over at Eve again and was surprised to see that she was far enough out that the snow was landing on part of her.

Silver scooted over a little against the root and pawed the area beside him. "Here, come in out of the snow, Eve," he invited.

Eve hesitated for only a second before coming closer and getting out of the cold snow. There was little space between the roots and as Eve curled up, their pelts slightly touched. However, Silver strangely didn't feel uncomfortable with the contact. Silver fell asleep again quickly, his body glad for the rest.

(0)

Sunlight shifted through the branches of the tree overhead. Silver slowly woke up, though he stayed still with Eve behind him. Opening his eyes, he saw that the snow had stopped falling. There was a small layer of snow on the ground at about an inch. Everything seemed brighter with the sunlight flashing off the white snow.

After a while, he felt Eve start to shift and sat up. Eve slowly got up and stretched. They sat in silence with nothing to do as they watched the snow. Silver didn't know what to do next. He had been traveling with Flame to find his trainer, and that was now accomplished. He could look for his family, but he had no idea where he was or where they were. In fact, there was little chance that he would ever see them again. _Where do I go from here? _Silver wondered, as he looked out across the snow.

He glanced over at Eve. She was staring at the snow, also, looking lost. Suddenly, he knew what he would do. "Eve?" Silver started, getting her attention.

"Yes, Silver?" Eve responded.

"Well, I . . . I really don't have anything else to do . . . so I was w-wondering if I could help you find your trainer," Silver said.

Eve looked over at him surprised. "R-really?" she asked. When Silver nodded, she jumped forward and nuzzled his cheek. She then pulled back quickly, blushing, as she realized what she was doing. Eve looked away and quickly mumbled, "S-sorry."

Silver could feel blood rushing to his cheeks. To avoid any more awkwardness, Silver stepped out into the snow. Looking around, Silver simply chose a direction and started out.

Eve quickly came out and caught up to him. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Well, you're trainer is somewhere, so we have to search around. Any direction is an option now," Silver explained.

They walked in silence through the soft snow. As the sun started to rise, the snow began to melt. Luckily, there was only enough snow to wet the ground and not create any slush. Silver's thought drifted off to his friends. He wondered how Ace would be now that he had a trainer. Was his trainer going to be a nice one? From the battle, Silver thought not. Flame was now with the trainer they had looked for so long. Silver's tail lowered some as he remembered the fight with Flame. He had thought they were friends, but then they had fought right before they left.

"A-are you okay, Silver?" Eve asked, breaking the silence.

"I was just wondering about Flame. I still don't know why we fought," Silver said, sighing. "I mean, we were friends, but he just attacked me. I only didn't want to be captured. Why would he still hurt me?"

Eve was silent for a second before answering. "Well, bonds for captured Pokemon are usually pretty strong. Maybe his bond with his trainer was just more important."

Silver sighed again. A question immediately started to nag at him, and he finally gave in. "Would you do that for your trainer?" Silver asked quietly, half hoping Eve wouldn't hear him.

When Eve didn't answer at first, Silver thought she hadn't heard. But, just as quietly as he asked, Eve answered, "Not if it was a true friend."

Silence once again reigned as they continued on the now dry ground. Though the sun was now shining directly on their backs, the air was still cold. Now that the snow had started, winter was finally setting in. Berries would stop growing, and the berries already grown would start to shrivel in a few weeks.

Before Silver knew it, the sun was starting to set, signaling the end of the day. Upon silent agreement, Silver and Eve stopped at the next berry bush they came to. The fruit was large and yellow with green circles on it. Silver knew the Aspear berries were a sour kind of berry.

When Silver saw Eve looking at the bush sadly, he sniffed the air. Though the bush let off a distinct sour smell, it didn't block the other scents of berry bushes nearby. Close by, there was a bush of some other berry. Walking around a tree nearby, he saw that there was a Mago berry bush.

"Over here," Silver said. Eve walked over with him to the Mago berries. "These are sweet instead of sour. Would you like them instead?" Silver asked.

Eve looked much happier as Silver told her that they were sweet. Mago berries let off the usual scent of berries, but their sweetness could only be smelt as the skin was pierced. Seeing Eve's expression, Silver reached up and pulled off a few berries for each of them. Eve smiled as he put a few berries in front of her. "Sweet berries are my favorite," she admitted quietly.

Silver smiled back, and they began to eat. The sun had fully set, the light growing scarce, as they finished. Silver and Eve headed over to a nearby large tree. The space between roots was slightly larger, allowing them to curl up without touching this time. The night wasn't kind as a wind started up. The cold, winter air made Silver shiver slightly, especially with the small patched of fur that had been burned off.

Silver looked up as he felt a paw touch his side. Eve was up again and standing next to him. "If y-you're cold, I-I could lie n-next to you," she offered.

Silver nodded, and Eve curled up next to him. Though it was slightly awkward, Silver surprisingly enjoyed the feel of their fur touching. With Eve next to him, the slight chill left him and he fell into a content sleep.

(0)

Silver woke up and smiled as he felt Eve's soft fur against his back. Eventually, they both got up and headed out once again; there was little else to do. The air was still cold even as the sun began to rise. Silver wasn't looking too forward to the coming temperatures and winter weather.

While Silver and Eve didn't converse, there were still noises drifting about. There were Pokemon here and there, most likely doing any last preparations for winter. Even with these Pokemon heading around, Silver and Eve were pretty much ignored by them all.

Near sun high, the wandering Pokemon seemed to disappear as they went back to their dens. Silver wandered for a moment if it was smart to continue searching around as winter set in, but didn't say anything to Eve. He didn't want to make her wait if she didn't want to.

After a while, Eve finally broke the silence between them. "Silver . . . why did you choose to help me? Why didn't you go to look for your family?" she asked. Before Silver could answer, she quickly added, "Oh, do you not have a family?"

"I have a family, but . . . I don't know where they are. I don't ever think I'll see them again," Silver admitted.

Eve came up next to him and touched him lightly on his back with her tail. "I'm sure you'll see them again one day," she said sympathetically.

Silver shook his head a little, but didn't say anything else. Silver's ear twitched as the undergrowth rustled nearby. He glanced over, but didn't see anything. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

Eve nodded her head in agreement. "Do you know what it was?" she whispered.

"I can't see anything, but-" Silver started.

He was interrupted as the creature exploded from the underbrush, and came right at Silver. All Silver could see was a light purple blur, before the Pokemon tackled him in the side with a cry.

"Silver!"


	11. Family Opinions

**Author's Note:** Only one or two more chapters after this before I get to the chapters I still had. I don't think they will help much, though, because I have several switches to make on them. -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 11: Family Opinions** -

Silver was pinned on his side as the Pokemon tackled him in an embrace. However, his attention was on the fact that the Pokemon had said his name. Looking up at his assailant, he saw that the light purple Pokemon was actually an Espeon, though he was sure he hadn't met it before.

The Espeon fell away as Eve tackled it in the side. Silver hurriedly got up and stood next to Eve. "What was that for?" Silver demanded.

"Silver, it's me," the Espeon said.

Though Silver didn't recognize the Espeon, he thought he recognized the voice slightly. Eve stayed tense beside him. "Who are you?" he asked.

The Espeon smiled and giggled at him. "Honestly, don't you remember your own sister?" he asked.

"Rose!" Silver exclaimed, finally remembering the voice.

The Espeon giggled again and nodded. "Where have you been?" Rose asked. "Our parents have been running themselves ragged trying to find you."

"I was caught in some net and taken-" Silver started.

"Explanations later; first, you need to come back to the den," Rose stopped him. She turned and headed back into the undergrowth, her two tail tips motioning for him to follow.

Eve looked at Silver worriedly. "Rose is my sister," Silver explained. "This must mean we're near my family's den. Will you come with?" Eve paused hesitantly, unsure of what to do, before simply nodding.

Silver started after Rose, and Eve stayed right at his side. Following Rose through the forest, Silver started to remember his surroundings. Eventually, he recognized right where he was and wasn't surprised as they came upon the old den.

Rose immediately went in, calling, "Mom, Dad!"

Silver paused at the entrance and took a breath. He walked inside, Rose still right beside him. Rose went on into their parents' room, still calling out to them. As Silver waited, he looked around and once again took in the place he had lived at for so long. It felt like it had been forever since he had last been here, even though it was only a week or two. Other than the entrances to the two rooms, the small den was mostly plain. Nearby, the stockpile of food was heaped up, ready for the coming winter. This once again reminded Silver how food would be scarce soon.

"What?" a voice exclaimed from farther in the den. Pawsteps could then be heard as his parents came out of the room. Silver only saw his Umbreon and Espeon parents for a moment before he was in a tight embrace from his mother. "Silver, my son, are you okay? Where have you been?"

Silver tried to respond, but had to wait until she finally let go. "Yeah, Mom, I'm okay," Silver responded.

"I was so worried," his mother said, nuzzling his face. Now that he wasn't trapped in an embrace, he saw that there were still tears stains on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Silver replied, nuzzling her back.

"Who is your friend?" Silver's father asked.

Silver glanced back and saw Eve behind him, as though she was trying to hide. "This is Eve. Eve, these are my parents," Silver introduced.

"H-hello," Eve timidly greeted, staying behind Silver.

"So, I'm guessing you have a story to tell," his father said, sitting down.

Silver nodded and began to tell them what happened, leaving out Ace and Flame and how he had found Eve. He didn't want his parents having to worry. "And finally, Rose found us and brought us back," Silver finished.

"Well, we're glad you're back," Silver's father said. "It's about dinner time. Why don't you pick something out to eat, if you're staying that is," he added.

"Of course he's staying," his mother interrupted.

Silver walked over to the pile, Eve followed close beside him. Silver looked through the pile and was about to pick his piece, but saw Eve looking hesitant. "Go ahead," Silver promptly, motioning to the pile. When Eve still hesitated, he realized what was wrong; there were no sweet berries on the pile. "Wait here; I'll be right back," Silver said.

Eve watched him nervously as he went outside. Going around the side, he found his memory still working. Beside the den, there was a Mago berry bush hidden in the undergrowth. He picked a few and came back. Eve calmed down when Silver finally entered the den again.

"Here," Silver said, placing the berries down, "Some Mago berries."

"T-thank you," Eve replied, picking them up.

Silver picked a few berries for himself and sat against the wall. Eve sat next to him, their pelts slightly touching. After they finished their meal, Silver asked Eve her opinion. "So, do you want to stay here a little?" he asked.

Eve looked down at her paws, thinking. "I-I'm not s-sure. Do you w-want to?" she asked.

"Well it's late already. Why don't we stay the night and let you sleep on it?" Silver suggested.

"O-okay," Eve agreed.

Silver was about to tell his parents, when he saw Rose about to leave. "Rose, where are you going?" he asked.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Rose replied. She came over and sat down. "When you disappeared, I went out to help look for you. While looking, I met a Poochyena named Jack. Well, we sort of started meeting. I know I was supposed to look for you, but . . . well, Jack was so nice and sweet and . . . Anyway, after a while he . . . he told me he loved me, and I evolved. I stay over at his den now. I was just going back over there," she explained.

"So I guess you got to evolve into what you wanted," Silver said.

Rose blushed and shuffled her paws. "Uh, if you're going to be staying, I can bring Jack over to let you meet him tomorrow," she suggested.

"We'll be staying the night at least," Silver said.

"Okay, I'll be back here tomorrow morning," Rose said, getting up and leaving.

Silver got up, Eve quickly getting up as well. He led her into the room he and Rose had once shared. The place was still set up as though he had never left. Both his and Rose's nest were still in order.

"Uh, this is the room where I used to stay," Silver said. "That was my old nest and that was Rose's old nest." A silence crept up as they wondered what to do. Silver cleared his throat uncertainly and said, "Uh, so you can have whichever one you want."

"Oh, t-thank you," Eve murmured. She walked over to Rose's nest and curled up on it.

Silver went over to his old nest and curled up on it. The nest was a definite improvement from lying on the cold ground night after night. However, as he closed his eyes, he missed the feeling of his and Eve's fur rubbing against each other's.

Even inside the den, the cold winter air swept in on a breeze. With the den's construction made out of rock, the cold air easily sapped the warmth that was left. Silver curled deeper into the nest. Winters were always hard with the cold. If they stayed any longer, he would need to gather more leaves for the nests.

When another breeze came in, Silver glanced over at Eve. She was shivering as well from the dropping temperature. Gathering his courage, Silver got up and padded over to her. Eve glanced up as he stopped next to her. Silver paused, unsure what to say. However, without saying a word, Eve scooted over, leaving enough room to for him to lie down beside her. Silver curled up next to her, grateful for her silent acceptance.

_Will it . . . will it go this well if I tell her? Will she return my feelings? _Silver wondered. _What will she say if I told her that . . . I love her?_

As he wondered about it, his eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep.

(0)

Silver yawned as he woke, accidently waking Eve beside him. Getting up, Silver led Eve down the short tunnel into the main area of the den. Silver was surprised to see that he had woken at dawn, even without the light shining on him. His parents seemed surprised too as they came out of their room.

"Morning, Dad, Mom," Silver greeted.

"You're up early. Well, eat your breakfast so we can go berry gathering. Just because you had a little adventure doesn't mean you get out of chores," his father replied.

Silver once again slipped outside and got a few more Mago berries for Eve. She accepted them gratefully again and they sat down to have breakfast. They had just finished eating when Rose walked up.

"Hey, we're here," she said.

Silver looked over at his father, who nodded his permission. Silver got up with Eve and headed outside to meet Rose's mate. Right outside, a small Poochyena sat looking around lazily. Unlike the Poochyena Silver had seen at the city they went through, this Poochyena had softer features, without scars or the desire to fight in his eyes.

"Silver, Eve, this is Jack," Rose introduced. "Jack, this is Silver, and this is Eve."

"Hello," Jack greeted.

"Hello," Silver responded. Eve stay quiet beside him, pressing against him some.

Jack grinned as Rose sat down beside him. "Rose has told me a lot about you, Silver," he said. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

Silver smiled back. "Rose told me how you two met," he replied.

Jack grinned even more. "Did she say how she fell in love after our first meeting?" he asked.

"Jack!" Rose complained, her cheeks reddening from his teasing.

"I love teasing her," Jack told them, chuckling.

"She always disliked that," Silver agreed, also chuckling. Rose continued to blush harder as they laughed.

"So, does that little Eevee speak?" Jack asked.

Eve pressed slightly closer to Silver. "Uh, she's just shy," Silver answered for her.

"We've got to go," Rose said, getting up.

"Nice meeting you," Jack called as Rose led him away.

"Bye," Silver called back. Silver and Eve headed back into the den.

His father was standing near the entrance as they came in. "Are you ready to go?" he asked. Silver nodded and they started to go out, Eve still following.

"Uh, Eve?" Silver's mother started. "I actually wanted to talk to you, alone."

Eve stopped and looked hesitantly at Silver. "Go on; I'll be back soon," Silver said. She paused before nodding a little and heading over to his mother. Silver watched her for a moment, concerned, before following after his father.

His father was silent as they went through the forest. It didn't take long before Silver realized that something was on his father's mind by the way they passed a few berry bushes without picking anything.

After a while, Silver finally stopped and asked him. "What do you want to talk about?"

His father chuckled. "I guess you didn't forget about me," he replied. "I do have something I want to talk to you about, though. What really happened to you before you got back here? Even in this short time, I've noticed that you've changed. You're more mature, calm, and independent. You're even less trustworthy than before."

Silver looked down at his paws for a second, unsure how to answer. "I don't really want to bring it all up, but I guess it was being taken out of a protected home. I saw the world in new eyes and how others act. Having to survive almost by myself and encountering humans; I guess I'm just not as naïve about the world anymore," Silver tried to explain.

His father was silent for a little, before nodding. "Well, I can respect you not wanting to talk about it, though I bet it's an interesting story. That's not all I wanted to talk about, though. You and Eve aren't just friends, are you?" he asked. "I saw how you were treating her."

"I like her, a lot. I-I think I'm in love with her," Silver said.

"What about her?" his father asked.

Silver sighed and lowered his head. "I . . . I don't know," he admitted.

"She seemed pretty attached to you earlier," his father noted.

Silver shook his head. "She was . . . treated badly in the past and now doesn't trust anyone easily. I don't know if she likes me the same way I like her."

Silver's father laid a paw on Silver's back. "What about her trainer?" he asked. "Are you willing to be a captured Pokemon?"

Silver paused. "Maybe . . . If she likes me, too . . . I guess I wouldn't mind."

"Well, just give her time, son, that's all I can advise," he said. "Now, are we going to gather some food, or not?"

"Okay," Silver said, getting up.

After gathering a load of berries from nearby bushes, Silver took them and headed back toward the den while his father continued gathering a load for himself. When Silver got close to the den, he could somehow tell his mother was aggravated by the distilled way the air was. Anxious, Silver picked up his step.

When Silver entered the den, his mother was facing Eve, a stern expression on her face. Even with Eve's back to him, Silver could tell that she was distressed by whatever his mother was saying by the way she had her head, tail, and ears lowered. Silver quickly put the berries down and came up to them. However, before he could try to intervene, Eve suddenly turned and darted away out into the forest.

Silver turned to go after her, but his mother moved into the way. "Move," he said, surprising even himself that he had just told his mother what to do. However, all he could think about was how Eve looked as she had run.

"Silver, I've got to talk to you first. You need to let that Eevee leave. She's way too secretive, probably meaning she has a shadowy past that she's hiding. You shouldn't be around her. She's a bad influence and will give you nothing but trouble," his mother lectured.

Not thinking of the consequences, Silver instantly responded. "I know her and what's happened. She's anything but a bad influence. I love her, and I'm not about to leave her. If she can't stay here, then neither can I," Silver yelled back.

Before she got over the shock of his words, Silver dived past her and dashed into the forest. He followed the trail Eve had left before. Soon, Silver started catching up and finally found her. Eve was lying in the middle of a tiny clearing. Even from the side of the clearing, Silver could hear her sobs, her shoulders shaking as she cried.

Eve's head whipped around as he stepped into the clearing. The tears were still fresh on her face as she looked at him. A look of confusion was on her face as he came up to her. "W-what-" she started.

"Shh," Silver whispered, pressing against her. "No matter what my parents say, I'm not going to just leave you out here alone. I promised to take you to your trainer, and I will." _But what's more, I love you and will follow you anywhere,_ he added silently.

"T-thank y-you," she whispered, leaning against him.

A rustling nearby made Silver look back. The black form near the clearing clarified who it was. "Wait here one second," he murmured. Walking back into the forest, he saw his father waiting for him. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey there, son," his father said. "I heard what happened."

Silver looked down at his paws. "I . . . I shouldn't have said that, but I was so worked up at the moment . . ."

"No need to apologize," his father said, stopping him. "Your mother wasn't exactly being diplomatic either. She just sees you as you were back before you left. She doesn't want to lose the old Silver she remembered. However, you've changed, and I can tell you're mature enough to make decisions like this. . . . You're not coming back, are you?"

"No," Silver murmured. "Tell Mom I'm sorry for what I said and that I know she was just looking out for me, okay?"

His father nodded. He touched his nuzzle to the top of Silver's head. "Be careful, okay?" he asked. Silver nodded. "And remember you always have a welcome home here."

"Thanks Dad," Silver said.

"Now go; Eve is waiting," his father said.

Silver went back to the clearing and up to Eve. She got up and leaned against him as they headed away into the forest. Though he could still hear his father's words ringing in his head, he somehow felt that he would never see his family again. As long as Eve was with him, though, he felt he would be alright.


	12. The River

**Author's Note:** This was one hard chapter to write, trying to stop at a certain point and yet keep it a decent length. And then I tore it completely apart, redid it, and found it way too easy to write a decent length chapter. After looking at it and getting a sudden burst of inspiration, I changed the whole first part and have now written the first scene so far from Eve's perspective. While thinking of how to improve the story, I thought that a stronger connection to Eve was needed, and realized that to really understand her thinking, I needed to show her perspective; so this chapter is the first to have that. Anyway, the ending isn't that far away, at least in my mind, so I'm beginning to think about which of my several ideas to pursue next, since I'm only working on two stories max at one time. It going to be a hard choice on which of the three main ones I'm thinking about . . . So, make sure to answer my poll if you care what story I do! Now that you listened to that long author's note, on to the story! -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 12: The River** -

Silver really wasn't sure what direction they were headed, he just made sure they were going in a straight path. Since he wasn't sure where their destination was, directions really didn't matter. They just had to keep moving.

They hadn't started walking through the forest long before it began to snow. The small, white flakes drifted down, melting as they landed on the ground and on their pelts. As the snow continued to fall, the temperature started to lower. It wasn't long before the air had turned the ground cold enough that the falling snow began to collect.

As they walked on through the weather, Eve continued to lean on Silver slightly. She was both physically and mentally tired and was grateful that he was allowing her to borrow his shoulder. However, she was even more grateful that he was even there, still helping her. She still could barely believe that he had left his family behind just to help her.

As the snow covered the ground, they began to leave behind small pawprints in the snow that were slowly erased. Soon, the snow was collecting enough that they were starting to pad on top of the soft substance. The trees passed by, slowing growing white, as they walked in one direction, though Eve wasn't sure where they were going.

As the temperature went even lower, Eve began to shiver a little, though she tried to hide it from Silver. However, Silver had seen it and put his tail over her, gently pulling her closer and sharing his body heat, while at the same time keeping the cold snow from landing on her. Eve smiled slightly as his fur brushed up against her. The cold atmosphere seemed to force them silent, though it was a silence Eve enjoyed with Silver next to her and a moment to think.

After a while of walking through the whitening land, the light began to darken, signifying the sun setting. Silver started to turn a little when they noticed the time, though Eve didn't question why. Soon, Silver led her to a snow laden bush, and she saw that there were several large pink berries growing on the bush. She remembered that Silver had told her they were Pecha berries.

Eve smiled slightly as Silver picked a few and gave them to her before getting his own. The silence continued as they ate. They kept pressed against each other to ward off the worst of the cold, Silver's tail still posed to keep most of the snow off Eve. Eve still wondered how he could be so kind to her without her doing anything, but was too tired to ask him.

When they were done, Silver started looking around the area, while Eve simply stayed next to him, her eyelids started to droop as she held back a yawn. After a little searching, Silver slowly got up, Eve quickly following, and started leading her over to the spot.

"Eve?" Silver began.

"Hmm?" Eve murmured sleepily, unable to fully open to her eyes.

Silver glanced back at her as she gave her sleepy reaction. "I know you want to find your trainer soon, but with winter coming, it's going to be hard to just keep traveling. Would it be okay to start looking for a place to wait out the weather tomorrow?" Silver suggested.

She nodded a little, letting her eyes fully close. For some reason, she didn't really mind if they stopped searching for a little. Besides, she owed him still for coming with her.

"Here; we'll rest here for tonight," she heard him say as he came to a halt.

Eve opened her drowsy eyes to see a small spot in between a few roots of a stout tree. The spot was bare of any snow, proving it was a good enough shelter for at least the night. As tired as she was, though, she wasn't being too picky at the moment.

Eve pulled away from Silver to curl up on the ground to one side. Eve paused a moment as her sensitive belly touched the ground, but did her best to ignore it. Silver laid down next to her, also hesitating a little. Eve shivered slightly from the chill of the night, but stopped as Silver timidly placed his tail over her to help. Unsure if it was okay, she scooted slightly closer to him until their pelts once again touched, calmly as he didn't stop her.

Eve had never lived in the wild, but was raised with her trainer. Eve never knew what to do around Silver, who had been raised a wild Eevee. While she always slept near her trainer, she didn't know if that was appropriate between Eevee in the wild. Did the gesture hold more meaning out here? What about leaning against him as they walked, or other small things that she did? However, she trusted that Silver would tell her, knowing that he would help guide her. Silver never told her no or protested, but she still wondered when he became slightly awkward or became embarrassed.

As Eve felt sleep start to come on her, her thoughts turned to Silver. After everything she had gone through in her time at that island place, he had come and been a true friend, sacrificing even his family to help her. Eve glanced at Silver, and smiled slightly at his sleeping form. He treated her so nice.

_Maybe . . . maybe he'll come with me when we find my trainer,_ she wondered for a second, before pushing it away. _After all the experiences with humans he's had, he'll never want a trainer,_ Eve thought depressingly, sighing sadly. _Will our friendship end when we find him? _She hoped not. Her trainer and Silver were the only friends she had ever had. Would she have to choose between them?

Her heart heavy with the possibility, Eve fell into an uneasy sleep.

(0)

Silver woke up feeling frozen. Light was just appearing with dawn, allowing him to see the small cloud that appeared as he breathed out. Raising his head slightly, his ears twitched as he felt a little snow fall off him. The area they had stayed in had stopped most of the snow, but they were still lightly covered in the white element.

Silver flicked his tail behind them, throwing off the snow that was on it, before replacing it over Eve's side. Even pressed together, he was starting to shiver slightly. They would need to find a more permanent shelter soon.

He looked at Eve's sleeping form and sighed as he once again thought about how he felt about her. He was sure that he loved her, but how did she feel about him? What would happen if she didn't like him the same way when he told her? When would he tell her how he felt? He wanted to tell her how he felt, but he didn't know what he would do if she didn't return his feelings. He might lose the trust he had worked for as their friendship stopped. He might lose the comfortableness he had around her, instead having an awkwardness that wouldn't be able to be undone. Silver sighed again. Maybe he could watch and see if she did anything to say that she liked him.

Laying his head back down with one more sigh, he waited for Eve to awake. After a little, Eve suddenly shivered slightly before scooting tighter against him. Silver blushed a little, but saw that Eve was still sleeping. The sun was just starting to rise over the trees when Eve finally woke up. She blushed when she realized how close they were and pulled away some, leaving Silver wondering how to interpret that.

Now that she was up, Silver stood up and shook himself to shake off the snow that was still on him. When Eve had done the same, Silver started toward the small berry they had been at before. The snowfall last night had made a layer of snow that was a few inches high. Eve came up next to him and leaned against him like before. Silver plucked a few more berries of the bush, and they crouched down to eat the small breakfast.

Once Silver was sure Eve had had her fill, he got up and starting leading her in the direction they had been going. He kept glancing around for a possible den or burrow they could use. Unfortunately, any ones that he saw were being used already by other Pokemon.

As Silver kept looking, snow began to fall once again. Silver's already numb feet just continued on through the new snow. Tentatively, Silver put his tail over Eve again. Eve pressed closer to him as she noticed. Silver once again wondered if this meant anything.

The snowflakes started falling faster, quickly building up on the snow already on the ground. Silver's vision was slightly limited now, the sun hidden by clouds not helping. Silver concentrated his fogging breath upward as they went, hoping to warm up his freezing nose. They needed some shelter soon.

Silver stopped as they came up on something different. In front of them, there was a wide river, a layer of ice over it. Silver could barely see the water churning under the ice from the white frost that was on top. On the other side of the river, the white forest continued on.

Turning, Silver started leading Eve alongside the river. The faint sound of water could be heard from the river. He kept an eye out for any places they might be able to stay, but there were none that weren't already occupied. With the weather, most Pokemon would be bunkering down, trying to keep warm. All the Pokemon around here had been preparing for a while for winter. Even his family had been getting ready when he had been taken.

As they went, Silver began to slowly lose hope. The chances of them finding a den or such during the winter were slim at most, but it appeared as though there wasn't one in the whole forest. Eve stayed silent beside him, and he wondered what she was thinking. Was she losing hope as well?

His breath billowing, Silver diverted from the river to look further in the forest for a possible den. Eve still stayed silent and simply stayed by his side, shivering slightly as the temperature continued to drop. Silver's eyes darted from one tree to another, but none were showing signs of a possible refuge.

Sliver's head swiveled around as he heard snow crunching nearby. A little away, a strange Pokemon Silver had never seen before was nosing through some of the snow. It looked like a small Stantler, though it had a yellow flower instead of antlers. The Pokemon had a dull gray pelt with a pale face and underbelly.

Silver paused in decision. The Pokemon might be aggressive, but it also might be willing to help. Also, it was the only Pokemon Silver had seen so far that hadn't been in its den. Finally choosing, Silver stepped toward it, about to call out. However, it jerked its head up and noticed him as his foot came down. Before he could say a word, the Pokemon bounded away through the snow with its long legs.

Sighing, Silver continued on in his search. If it wasn't for the silent encouragement he felt from Eve being next to him, he wasn't sure he would have continued. However, Eve's presence next to him was a constant reminder that he had to go on if they were going to find somewhere to stay.

But even with Eve right next to him, he wasn't sure much farther he would be able to go. His legs were starting to ache even while being numb from the ever rising snow. The snow had risen another few inches, almost reaching his belly. The cold air seemed to sting his lungs as he breathed it in. Even sharing each other's body heat, both of them were beginning to shiver.

After a while, Silver was sure that there were no burrows left on this side of the river that were empty. However, there was a possibility on the other side of the river still. The ice covering the river had looked strong enough for them to cross. Maybe there was a den being unused on the other side. There really was no point staying on this side any more anyway. However, he wasn't a good swimmer and didn't know if Eve knew how to swim at all. If they fell in, it could be terrible.

There were two other possibilities, though. They could head back to his family's den, or they could try to find someone who was willing to let them stay. Silver threw out the idea of returning to his family immediately. Eve would be way too uncomfortable, and he didn't want to have to deal with his mother again. However, trying to find help was a possibility.

Choosing quickly, Silver led Eve toward one of the burrows nearby. As the others, this one was occupied by other Pokemon. As Silver and Eve got close, a pink Pokemon popped out of the entrance and took an aggressive stance. By the large ears and horn on its forehead, Silver was able to tell it was a male Nidoran.

"What do you want?" the Nidoran asked gruffly.

"W-we were looking f-for some shelter, and-" Silver began.

"No," the Nidoran replied flatly. He turned to go back in, purposefully kicking some snow with its foot and hitting Silver in the face.

Silver felt both mad and flustered that, but held them back, knowing it wouldn't help. Turning, Silver led Eve to another burrow nearby that was occupied. As before, a Pokemon came up before Silver could get too close. The small purple Rattata didn't appear to be as aggressive as the Nidoran, but it still didn't appear happy.

"What do you want? It's too cold to stay out her long," it said, shivering slightly.

"W-we were looking for some shelter, and . . ." Silver drifted off, unsure how to continue.

The Rattata sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but our den doesn't have a lot of room to begin with. Besides, we don't have any food to spare," it said.

"Oh," Silver murmured, not having thought of that.

"Well, I hope you find something," the Rattata said, before heading back into his den.

Siler sighed. Trying to find someone to let them stay wasn't going to work. No one could spare food during winter and most Pokemon made burrows large enough only for themselves. They were going to have to do something else.

Making up his mind, he led Eve back toward the river. When they got back, Silver studied it once again. The ice appeared thick, though he wasn't able to see the other side as clearly. The ice was still frosted, but Silver could see the water moving about under the ice. The snow was piled on either side, as though not willing to land on the ice itself.

Eve didn't say anything about coming back to the river. Either she had come to the same conclusion that they needed to cross, or she just trusted him that much. Silver was silently hoping that it was because she just trusted him enough.

Silver reached down and hesitantly put a paw on the ice. He flinched and drew his paw back as the cold of the ice stung even his numb paw. Gritting his teeth, Silver pressed his paw back down on the ice. He pushed on it several times, but the ice didn't give any.

Holding Eve back with his tail, Silver slowly stepped fully onto the ice. Other than his paws going completely numb from the freezing ice, nothing happened. The ice was solid under his paws, though a little slippery. Concentrating on his footing, Silver reached forward with a paw and stepped forward. Once again, the ice held, showing it was solid.

Silver motioned for Eve to come with a gentle nudging from his tail. Eve stepped slowly onto the ice. When she had gotten fully onto the iced river, she pressed against him. When he went to step forward again, she copied him. Her paw slipped as she put it down and she began to fall, but Silver held her until she got her footing again.

Slowly, they began to make progress across the river. Silver made sure to test his steps each time, pausing to watch Eve as she stepped forward. Soon, they were making it past the hallway part. Silver's tense muscles relaxed slightly as they began to make their way toward the closing in bank on the other side.

Suddenly, time seemed to slow as a loud crack rang through the air. The sound lasted less than a second, yet continued to ring in Silver's ears. The sound seemed to paralyze both Silver and Eve where they were, unable to move as fear shot through them. All the other noises and sounds nearby fell silent, as though waiting for what was about to happen.

A crackling sound suddenly came, snapping and popping as it seemed to get louder. Snapping out of his petrified state, Silver turned to grab Eve and jump to the bank. However, as he turned, the ice split under Eve. In an instant, Eve disappeared under the water into the churning river.


	13. Cold

**Author's Note:** And time to end the cliffhanger. Thanks for the reviews everyone! Anyway, I've finally caught up to the already written chapters, though numerally I'm a whole chapter ahead. Must have been where I split chapter five and six into parts. Still, though, I've got to change several parts about them with newer details and a few major changes, so I'm probably going to stay at this regular schedule I've got going so far. -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 13: Cold** -

Silver's heart stopped for a second when Eve suddenly dunked into the water as the ice gave way beneath her. Without a second thought, Silver leapt in after her. His body immediately tried to stop from the shock of the icy water hitting him, much colder than the outside weather. He barely kept himself from gasping for a breath, knowing he wouldn't survive if he did. His body was tossed a little as he took a second to reorient himself.

The water threw him around from its strong current. Silver waved his paws around, trying to swim in the raging water, but his struggles were almost useless. He barely knew how to swim before, and he was way too inexperienced to swim in this current.

Remembering his objective, Silver opened his eyes, though they stung from the freezing water. A little farther down river, Silver saw a bundle of brown being dragged away, a few bubbles coming off it. It had to be Eve.

Silver desperately tried to start moving toward her his legs wildly swinging to try and control his movements. When his body's course was barely changed, he tried harder, though still to no success. As he began to want to breathe, Silver started concentrating on holding his breath, his legs started to move on instinct. Soon, his body actually started moving more to his will, and he slowly started to move toward the flowing brown body that was Eve.

Silver's lungs were starting to burn as he finally reached her, though he was distressed to see no more air bubbles coming from her. Bubbles rushed out of his mouth as Silver latched onto what he hoped was her mane.

As Silver continued to hold his desire to take in air, his instinctive padding brought him toward the closest bank he could find. Silver's lungs were really started to burn now, black appearing on the edge of his vision, as he finally reached a side. The current was weak here, allowing him to stay mostly stationary with his paws barely touching the bank.

Silver tried to move up, but the ice blocked him from escaping. Silver's mind raced as his vision continued to fade. How would they get past the ice? Taking the first idea that came, Silver spun in the water, his tail glowing as he gathered energy into it. His Iron Tail broke it with a muffled crack, the ice flying out and away.

Desperate and weak, Silver kicked up through the hole, scrabbling at the edge to pull himself up. His vision was almost completely black before he pulled Eve fully out. Letting go of her mane, Silver gasped as he finally took in a breath.

As his body tried to get in as much oxygen as possible, he almost lost his grip, but found a slight traction with the frost to keep his paws still. After a few more struggling gasps, Silver pulled himself out of the freezing river with about seven pounds of extra weight in water absorbed into his fur. The air seemed even colder as it hit his wet skin, making him instantly shiver.

Silver's teeth were chattering a little as he looked over for Eve. She was splayed out on the ice nearby. Quickly, Silver grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her to the bank. Though her back end was dragging along the ice, he did not stop until he was sure they were off the ice river.

Silver gently put Eve down, panting as he had not fully recovered his breath. He looked Eve over, her fur completely flattened with the soaking. Worried she might have swallowed water, Silver came up to her and moved her onto her back. Though he had only been taught rudimentary lessons about swimming, he knew that he needed to get any water Eve had swallowed out so that she could breathe.

Silver placed his paws on her stomach and gently but quickly thrust down. Eve heaved and some water was spat out. Encouraged, Silver repeated the process until Eve stopped coughing up water. After checking to make sure she was breathing, Silver moved his thought process to the next step, taking everything one at a time.

When he noticed the cold again, and that snow was still falling, Silver realized they needed shelter now, or they would freeze, especially while they were drenched. Silver looked around frantically and saw a tree nearby that might provide a little shelter.

Silver grabbed Eve by the scruff again and started to drag her over the snow to the tree. He tried but failed to keep Eve off the snow, so they left a wide trail behind as he pulled her through the ever rising snow.

It seemed like an eternity before he finally reached the large tree with the little protection it would provide. His sides starting to shiver from the cold, Silver headed between two roots to settle down.

As Silver stepped forward, he suddenly stumbled as the snow gave way. Holding Eve tightly, he started to panic as he continued to fall past the ground. Finally, Silver hit some ground, Eve next to him. Once the snow had settled, Silver sat up and blinked open his eyes.

He gasped as he saw he was in a small burrow underneath the tree. It had been mostly dug out, part of the walls and ceiling made of the roots of the tree. The burrow was more than large enough for both him and Eve, the ceiling high enough for him to stand with his ears up. It seemed just like the perfect shelter.

Pausing, Silver remembered that the den might already be taken. Raising his nose, Silver took in the air deeply, almost sneezing from a small amount of dust. Silver's tail tiredly wagged as he found no other scents beside earth and roots. They had finally found a place to stay.

Silver turned around and saw that the entrance was a small, short tunnel that had been hidden by the snow. Though it was much warmer inside the den, it was still cold, and getting colder as the open entrance allowed the air in.

Shivering, Silver picked Eve up and pulled her to the farthest wall away from the entrance to keep her in the warmest part. Finally safe with a good shelter, Silver allowed himself a moment to rest a little.

After slowing his rapid heartbeat and catching his breath, Silver realized they were both still drenched. Worried about the shivering Eve, he leaned down and started to lick her fur dry, making sure to go the wrong way to fully dry it and keep her as warm as possible. Though he normally would have been uncomfortable doing it, he only thought about making sure she was warm and safe. Even with this thought, he still stopped before rolling her over, too self-conscious to touch her there.

Now that Eve was mostly dry, Silver began to dry himself off. By the time he had finished, he was growing extremely tired by all the sudden exertions. The light had also heavily darkened as night began to set in. His eyelids already drooping, he suddenly paused as he wondered if he should lay next to Eve.

He immediately made his decision when Eve shivered. Curling up next to her, he laid close enough for their fur to touch to help keep her warm, his tail laying over her. He instantly fell asleep from exhaustion.

(0)

Silver woke up with Eve pressed closer to him than the night before. Easing slowly away, Silver got up and stretched his aching muscles. Now that he had had some rest, he began to plan what to do next.

Now that they had a stable shelter, the next objective was stockpiling some food. Most berries had a week at most before they all shriveled from the cold weather. If they were going to get enough for winter, he would need to start gathering food now.

Glancing back to check on Eve, Silver headed over to the entrance. Silver poked his head out the den to look around. The snow had stopped, the sun now out. However, the sun's rays would not be melting the sun anytime soon. The snow was now about six inches high, shocking him by touching his belly as he came out.

Looking around, Silver headed for the first mostly covered bush he saw. Going over to it, Silver brushed the snow off. Not really noting what the berries were, Silver leaned in to snip off a few berries. He paused as he realized he would have to make several trips. Thinking quickly, Silver instead snapped the branch off, carrying twice as many berries than he could before as he headed back to the den.

Silver came down and placed the berry branch down to the side. He glanced at Eve before going for some more berries. He continued to work as quickly as he could, glad that the den was still staying much less cold than the outside. Eve stayed asleep in the same position as before each time Silver checked her, making him slightly worry.

Silver rested slightly as he placed another berry branch on the growing pile. When he was outside, he could tell it wouldn't be long before the sun would begin to set. The day was almost over, but Eve was still not awake.

Worried, Silver headed over to her and placed a paw on her. Thankfully, she was warm . . . not even slightly cold. Leaning down, Silver was worried to see her breathing was slightly faster than it should be. Something had to be wrong.

Trying not to panic, Silver wondered what he could do. Eve shouldn't be this warm for no reason. But what could he do? _I need some help, _Silver decided.

Checking on Eve one last time, Silver slipped back out into the white forest. Unsure where to go, Silver went to the river, using it as a guide so he wouldn't get lost. He was about to head downstream, when he saw a strange lump on snow on top of the river nearby. Though against the bank, it was too far out to just be snow.

Approaching it, Silver saw that it was actually a large den made of sticks and logs. Any ice near the wooden den was broken, allowing Silver to once again see the sinister river. Ignoring the water, Silver went up to the den.

He paused, unsure how to get their attention, when he finally just called out, "Hello?"

He waited a moment before hearing a quiet splash. He was startled when a head suddenly popped up out of the water and glared at him. With a brown furred hear, the paler fur shooting up around its eyes and the almost black snout, the still most startling feature was the large teeth outside its mouth. "What is it ye want?" the Bibarel asked.

"S-sir, I have a f-friend that I think something is w-wrong with," Silver started.

"We can't help ye, so go away," the Bibarel said, about to dunk under the water.

There was another splash, before a second Bibarel appeared, this one looking much friendlier. "Honey, we can still tell how to help his friend," she said, a motherly tone in her voice. Her head turned to face Silver, and she said, "What's wrong with her?"

"I-I'm not sure. She's really warm and taking deeper breathes than normal. Yesterday, we were outside a lot and accidently fell in the river," Silver said.

The motherly Bibarel paused, before nodding. "She may have a cold. Try to get her to eat some Oran berries, they should help her recover. Also, she'll need plenty of rest," the Bibarel explained.

"Thank you so much," Silver called as he turned to go, seeing she was done. The Bibarel nodded in response and went back under the water.

Silver dashed back to the den eager to help Eve. Inside, Eve was still asleep, her breathing still deep. Silver quickly went through the small pile of berries and pulled out every Oran berry he found. They had four in total, so he would need to make them count.

Silver paused as he realized Eve needed to wake up to eat them. He needed to get her the Oran berries now, not when she woke. Coming up with an idea, Silver brought the Oran berries over to Eve. Carefully, Silver punctured one side of an Oran berry with his teeth. Placing it over Eve's mouth, Silver slowly squeezed the berry, allowing the juice to drip down into her maw. After a little, Silver stopped to tilt Eve's head back, sighing with relief when she instinctively swallowed the juice.

Silver continued the slow process until he had completely squeezed out two Oran berries. Placing the others to the side for later, Silver checked Eve's head. She was still running a fever, but Silver hoped the Oran berries would start to work soon.

Unsure if he should, Silver hesitantly laid down beside Eve. Her body was warm against his, another thing to make him worried. Out of habit, Silver laid his tail over her. Realizing too much warmth may be bad for her, he went to pull it off. However, Eve suddenly scooted slightly closer to him, though she was still asleep.

Sighing, Silver left his tail over her and tried to sleep. It was a while before sleep came, though. His thoughts were running around in his head, preventing him from relaxing for a long time. Finally, though, he was able to fall into an uneasy sleep.

(0)

Eve slowly woke, her head hurting slightly from a headache. Her first thought was on how she was starting to sweat a little, though she didn't feel that warm. Her second thought was on how she felt something pressed against her tightly, while something else draped over her.

Enjoying the warm, Eve tried to huddle against whatever it was. Eve held her breath when the thing began to move. Her cheeks lit up when she realized it had been Silver next to her. She kept her eyes down as he got up, unable to meet his eyes.

"You're awake," Silver said, sounding extremely relieved. "How do you feel?"

"A-a little s-sick," Eve murmured, still slightly embarrassed.

Eve looked up when Silver suddenly put two large, blue berries in front of her. "Here, I was told these Oran berries should help you get better," he explained.

When she looked at the berries, she suddenly realized how hungry she was. "Thanks," she murmured, before quickly eating the two berries. She felt much better once she had consumed both, and sat up. Looking around, Eve saw that they were in what appeared to be a small den. "Where are we?" Eve asked.

"I found this burrow by accident, but no one was using it, so I brought you here," Silver explained.

Wondering how she missed this, she tried to remember what had last happened. _We were crossing the river, and then something happened . . . a loud crack . . . I fell in!_ Eve suddenly remembered. "What about the river? How did I-" Eve stopped as she looked at Silver. "Did you pull me out?"

Silver nodded, though he didn't meet her eyes.

"I-I don't know what to say. Thank you, Silver," Eve said, still stunned.

"Uh, you're welcome. I'll go get you something water," he replied, adding the last part quickly.

As he went out the small tunnel, Eve laid back down. _He saved my life,_ Eve thought slowly. _Why would he risk his for mine?_ Eve wondered, watching the entrance. Eve suddenly blushed as she then realized she was dry after the whole ordeal.

Before she could speculate more, Silver reappeared, a piece of ice in his jaws. He placed it down in front of her and sat down. Eve only realized how thirsty she was when she started lapping at the melting chunk of ice. Though the ice melted quickly, Eve was still able to quench most of her thirst with it.

"I'm going to go collect some more berries. I'll be close if you need something. Try to rest," Silver said, before going back out.

Eve watched him until he was fully gone, her heart fluttering for some reason. _Am I . . . am I starting to love him? I-I can't; he's my friend and wouldn't want that . . . would he?_ Eve covered her head as she tried to stop her thoughts, but they still continued. _We couldn't be anything; I'll going with my trainer. But . . . if he comes with me, maybe we could- No, he wouldn't want to be captured, right?_ Eve sighed as the unanswerable questions flew through her mind. _I need to ask him if he will,_ Eve finally thought, putting the other thoughts aside.

Tired, Eve curled up and went to sleep.

(0)

Silver came in one last time, the berry branch dragging behind him. After working the whole day, the growing pile was finally starting to put hope into Silver. At this rate, they would be able to make it. He was extremely thankful of all the nearby bushes.

Sitting the berries down on the pile, Silver went to check on Eve. She had fallen asleep again, though it appeared to be a more peaceful sleep. Checking her forehead, Silver was relieved that Eve's fever had dropped some; she was starting to get better.

With Eve getting better, a growing stockpile of food, and a protective den to keep the cold out, things were finally starting to look up. Silver sighed contentedly and laid down next to Eve. As he placed his tail over her, he wondered how he could tell her how he felt. However, he knew he would be waiting at least until she was healthy once more.

Enjoying the feel of Eve beside him and the knowledge that she was getting better, Silver quickly fell asleep.


	14. Warming Up

**Author's Note:** I actually planned for this chapter to end at a farther point, just to find a good stopping point and that I already had past my word minimum. Anyway, hope I don't get too confusing with the few third person shifts here and there. -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 14: Warming Up** -

Silver woke up with Eve being much closer than she had been last night, again. Seeing that it was starting to get light outside, Silver eased away from her and slowly got up. Checking on her, he was glad to note that her fever was slightly down, though she still had one.

Almost dreading going back out into the cold, Silver headed over to the entrance. Once out, Silver sighed to see that it had snowed again last night, the snow rising a few inches. In fact, he was sure that the snow was about a foot high, while he was only a foot tall.

Sighing, Silver stepped out into the snow, pausing as the snow seeped its icy feel into his leg. He was glad to note, though, that the snow was compacted enough that he didn't sink down too much, allowing him to mostly walk along the top of the snow.

Looking around, Silver saw a rather large hump in the snow nearby. Hopping through the snow, Silver quickly made his way over to it. He padded at it, removing the snow from the bush. With part of the snow gone, Silver was able to see it was really a berry bush, though he didn't recognize the berries. Though a few of the berries were shriveling, the rest were still ripe and ready to be picked.

Reaching down, Silver was about to snap off a branch, when he noticed the rather large leaf under the branches. The large leaf appeared strong and was still a healthy green color with the protection of the bush. With its slightly cupped shape with a strong, long stem, it would be a perfect thing to carry berries on.

Silver pulled it out, placing it gently beside him. Instead of snapping off the branches on the bushes like normal, Silver began to snip the berries off, placing them on the leaf. He enjoyed not breaking off branches, for they were both cumbersome and shortened the amount of berries that could grow on the bush next year until the branch regrew.

With his new leaf carrier full, Silver headed back to the den. As he climbed back inside, he was glad to see that Eve was already awake and sitting up. Sliding the berries over to the pile, he went over to Eve.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked.

"Slightly better," Eve said. "What do I do?"

"You need to stay in here and rest," Silver ordered. "You're still sick and need to get better."

Eve sighed, but laid back down.

"Are you thirsty?" Silver asked.

Eve looked away, but murmured, "A little."

Nodding, Silver grabbed the leaf and went back outside, heading toward the river. Going to the edge, Silver knocked off a piece of the ice on the river, pulling it onto the snow before it was washed away. After collecting a few more pieces of the ice, he piled them onto his helpful leaf and dragged it back to the den. Not wanting it all to melt, he left the ice in the snow just outside the den.

Bringing back in the leaf and one piece of ice for Eve, Silver brought it over to Eve. "Here you go," Silver said, placing it in front of her.

"Thank you," Eve said quietly, before licking at the ice quickly.

"I'll be back soon," Silver promised, grabbing his leaf and heading out.

He shivered slightly as he stepped back out into the snow, but went out again, heading for the first usual hump in the snow that would signify a berry bush. Reaching it, Silver lunged forward to knock the snow off, only to backpedal quickly as something sharp pricked his nose. Shaking his head from the sudden pain, Silver watched as a few droplets of his blood hit the ground.

Wondering what it was, Silver more cautiously pawed the snow off of the bush. Once done, Silver found himself looking at a thorn bush, most likely what was a flowering bush back in the spring and summer.

Silver pressed his nose against the snow for a second, effectively numbing it and the pain. Shaking the little bit of snow that stayed on, Silver headed for the next hump close by, making sure to go at it slower than before.

After filling his leaf once more with berries, he headed back to the den, his nose still dropping blood every few minutes as he went. Inside the den, he found Eve by the stockpile, pulling the berries off the branches from before and separating them into two piles.

She looked up quickly as he entered. "I thought I could help still while I stayed here," she said.

Piling the berries onto the already present pile, Silver nodded. "If you get tired, though, rest, okay?"

She nodded, but paused. "Silver, you're bleeding," she said, a note of concern in her voice.

"It's just a scratch from a thorn bush," Silver said.

She looked at him a little concerned still, but went back to separating the berries.

Silver took a lingering glance at her before heading back out into the winter landscape, wondering if that concern was meant for more than friendship. Was she caring for him because she was starting to like him as well?

Knowing he would just entangle himself in his thoughts again, Silver pushed them away and focused on gathering berries. The rest of the day was just gathering berries off of any bushes Silver could find and pulling them back to the den.

The sun was setting as Silver brought back his last load. After gathering berries all day through the high snow, he was tired. However, he knew his feelings were partially numbed by the cold, making him wonder how tired he really was. He was still glad to see the tree that overshadowed their den as he came back.

Almost diving back into the less cold den, Silver quickly dumped the last of the berries onto the pile. Eve was lying back down, having pulled all the branches off earlier. Now that he was back, Eve slowly started to get back up. Silver brought another ice piece for her and then started searching the berry pile. He sighed as he realized they had no sweet berries, meaning Eve would have to eat something else.

Coming up beside him, Eve grabbed a few berries and sat down to eat. Getting his own dinner, Silver admired how Eve ignored her favoring and ate the berries. Her face showed how much she disliked it, but she continued to eat them.

Finishing up her few berries, Eve asked, "When do you think I'll be able to go out?"

Silver shrugged. "I'm not sure. I wasn't even sure you were sick until the Bibarel told me. I don't think you should go out until your fever is fully gone, though," Silver said.

Eve sighed quietly, looking down at her paws. "You shouldn't have to be doing this all just for me, though. I should be helping."

"You can't help that you're sick," Silver pointed out.

Eve sighed again, though. Finished with their meal, Eve went over and curled up at her usual spot. Silver paused, unsure if he should lay down next to her again. She was getting better, and it wasn't that cold inside the den. However, as he glanced back over at Eve, he saw her watching him, an almost hopeful look on her face. He inwardly sighed as he realized she still wanted him to lay next to her.

As Silver laid down next to her, he noticed the fever was less than it had been before, meaning she was probably getting better. He hadn't got much information from the kind Bibarel and could only hope it meant she was getting well. Silver fell asleep, hoping there had been an additional reason for Eve wanting him next to her besides warmth.

(0)

Silver opened his eyes to see that it was still night. He wondered why he had woken until he heard a soft sound. He thought Eve was moving around for a second, before realizing that Eve's body was still against his side. Her even breathing proved that she was still asleep.

Silver perked his ears, listening again. He paused as he heard another of the soft sounds, confirming he hadn't imagined it. Confused, Silver quietly sniffed the air and tensed as he smelt something different in the air. He couldn't identify it, but he knew that it was something living; someone else was in the den.

Though alarm shot through Silver immediately, he froze, unsure of what to do at first. He heard another of the soft sounds and realized that the sound was closer; or maybe it was just his panicking nerves. Needing some kind of action at the moment, Silver shook his head slightly to break from the tight grip of fear that had grabbed him. This moment was a time to act, not freeze up. He needed to start thinking straight.

Moving slowly, Silver eased into a crouching position, making sure not to disturb Eve next to him. He heard another of the soft sounds and deduced them to be slow pawsteps. His ears pricked at an added noise; this one the sound of sniffing, as though it was searching for something.

Realizing Eve was closer to the entrance, Silver stepped over her, putting himself between the new intruder and the Eevee. However, as he maneuvered into the new position, his pawsteps landed harder than expected, and a low growl instantly vibrated from the area where Silver had located the intruder. The growl sent shivers down his spine as he imagined the opponent, no light to stop his imagination from adding to its actual figure.

Suddenly, Silver was taken off his feet as something rammed into his side. The blow carried him and his assailant over Eve, and Silver offhandedly hoped that it hadn't noticed her. They fell roughly to the ground again, and Silver immediately began to struggle. However, he was quickly pinned before he could retaliate, keeping his paws still.

Silver swallowed nervously as he felt hot breath against his neck. The enemy was probably going for a quick killing bite. Thinking quickly, Silver suddenly remembered his tail, the one thing that wasn't pinned. Concentrating his power in the appendage, the bushy tail started to glow white slightly. The slight light from it reflected off the burrows walls slight, showing Silver exactly what the intruder was.

The Pokemon was slightly larger than his size, though small enough to have gotten through the tunnel with little difficulty. Its skin was covered in short, black fur, with a short stubby tail. The fur left off of the muzzle, showing its angry red skin around the mouth and contrasting the many menacing teeth in its maw. With the two ears matching the shape of its tail, Silver recognized it as a Houndour.

The Houndour was leaning over him, ready to bite. It froze as the little light illuminated the small den. It looked back for the source of the light, only to see Silver's tail arching up as he attacked. Silver whacked the Pokemon as hard as he could from his position, though it was weaker with no leverage under his feet. However, the attack was enough to knock the Houndour off of him and throw him a little away.

Silver quickly got up out of the weak position, his belly quickly being hidden from attack. Glancing over, Silver saw that Eve's outline was starting to stir from the commotion, though he couldn't see very clearly in the dark.

Looking back over at the assailant, he saw that the Houndour had taken his momentary lapse in attention to its advantage and was now charging at him. Ramming into Silver's side, the dog winced slightly, but continued pushing into Silver until it rammed him against the wall.

After pressing against the wall for another half second, it backed up and let Silver fall to the ground. Silver's legs almost gave out as they found earth underneath them again, but he stayed steady and glared at the spot he thought the Houndour was. He started to gather energy in his back legs to tackle it, but flinched as he felt teeth sink into his left ear.

Crying out in pain, Silver pulled back from the sudden pain, tearing his ear out of his opponent's fangs. Immediately, he felt a thick liquid start to seep out of the wound he had been given. Silver instinctively wanted to check on it, but reminded himself that he was in a battle.

Before Silver could recover enough to attack, though, the Houndour rammed heavily into him again, throwing him onto his back. Once again, he felt himself pinned down, this time with his tail trapped underneath his body, making him cry out as his tail was painfully squeezing and bending of the muscles and bone down there.

Hot breath once again hit Silver's face as the Houndour's mouth got closer. Not knowing what else to do, Silver desperately tried to thrash out of his captor's hold, but it had pinned him too well. Knowing that neither of them could see anyway in the dark, Silver still bared his fangs at where he guessed the Houndour's face to be, daring it to try anything in his false bravado. His last chance would be to let it bite and hope that it confused the location of his neck with all his mane fur.

Crouching low, Eve tried to take in what was going on. Somehow, Silver was fighting against some other Pokemon. He needed her help, but she still hadn't adjusted to the dim lighting out the den. Finally, Eve could tell Silver was being pinned from his movements. Taking action, she leapt at the Pokemon above him. Without being able to see, her attack didn't hit fully, but it still knocked the creature off balance some, making it give a yelp.

Silver immediately took advantage and threw the Houndour off of him. Eve paused to check on him and was worried when she smelt blood. She could hear Silver panting hard as he tried to catch his breath.

Suddenly, the den was filled with light, forcing Eve to half close her eyes from the sudden brightness. The Pokemon had formed a small ball of fire at its mouth, the light revealing that it was a Houndour. It immediately shot the fireball toward Silver, who was easily able to dodge the fully illuminated attack.

Eve gasped as the attack continued on and hit the food pile, immediately catching the many berries on fire. The new, more spread out fire lit the den even more as the battle continued. Eve wanted to attend to the fire and save their food supply, but knew the Houndour wasn't about to give them the chance.

Suddenly, the Houndour and Silver leapt at each other, meeting head on with their attacks. However, Silver couldn't match the Houndour's strength and was thrown back against the wall. The Houndour continued and hit Silver a second time as he tried to get up. Silver stayed down after the second blow, not moving as the Houndour approached with a large grin appearing.

Breaking out the trance that had taken hold of her, Eve launched herself at the assailant and battered him in the side. Unprepared, the Houndour was thrown away and fell to the ground. As it tried to get up, Eve returned its favor and rammed it again, speeding up with Quick Attack. The Houndour was thrown once again beside the small tunnel that served as an entrance, falling into a crumpled heap as it landed.

Panting slightly, Eve began to charge her power greatly. While her trainer didn't battle, he had taught her a move to protect herself from any attackers. He had told her Eevee didn't normally learn it, but he had found a way for her to do just as much damage as the move he called Giga Impact.

With her power gathered, Eve charged at the downed Houndour, sending it flying up the tunnel. It was howling in pain as it flew through the air and fell outside. Eve stopped as her muscles restricted from the heavy and sudden use. Panting hard, Eve waited for her muscles to unlock.

Eve glanced over as Silver came over to her, grimacing slightly from the pain. "Are you okay?" Silver asked, worry evident in his voice.

Her muscles starting to recover, Eve nodded slightly. "Yeah, my muscles just lock up for a little after that attack," she explained.

Silver suddenly froze for a second, before turning around and struggling over to the blazing pile that was once their provisions. Though Eve was worried about Silver's condition, she hurried over and quickly helped him start to throw dirt onto the pile, water not being accessible at the moment. Her movements much quicker than his, it still took a moment before the flame was out, the light disappearing with it.

As Silver began to go through the remains of the food pile, all Eve could worry about was him. He was obviously still in pain, and there was blood somewhere on him. Coming over to him, she saw he had pulled out a few berries, though not many.

Seeing an Oran berry among the meager collection, Eve moved it in front of Silver. "Here, eat this Oran berry; it should heal some of your wounds," Eve murmured, though forcibly.

As Silver leaned down to eat it without a comment, Eve checked him over in the dim light, finding that the blood was a wound on his ear. Eve silently began to lick it, cleaning the wound with long strokes of her tongue. After cleaning off the blood and few loose hairs, Eve was saddened to see a small nick in his ear that wouldn't heal.

Sighed, Eve said, "Your ear is going to have a nick in it from now on."

Silver sighed as he looked at the tiny amount of berries in front of him, despair almost setting in. Winter was coming on hard now, while food would soon be going bad from frost. With so little food, they had much bigger problems than his looks; they needed something to eat.


	15. The Question

**Author's Note:** I had planned to put some of Eve's past in this chapter, but it's going to end up in the next chapter I guess. Anyway, the big change I was talking about is finally here! Sorry for all of you who thought the old version was better, but I came up with a much better ending for the story than there had been before. There are a few shifts in third person, but they shouldn't be that hard, since there isn't any first person views. I guess the all-encompassing viewpoints of the third person perspective is why I like writing in it so much. Maybe I'll try first person one day. I suspect there being only one more chapter for me before I reach the point I had reached before, so yay! -EeveeInHeat

**Poll: **Another poll is now up! After the last poll, the selection is now down to two different stories, which I listed and explained. It is a blind poll for a few reasons: no biased answers, only I'll know which is ahead at any time, and it makes the running that much more intense! Anyway, choose and choose carefully!

**Silver**

- **Chapter 15: The Question** -

Silver glanced back once more to make sure Eve was lying down and resting. She was still curled up, her sides rising and falling softly as she rested. Silver had insisted that she rest after the battle with the Houndour, knowing that it would be bad for her when she was just recovering from her sickness.

After a few more seconds, he tore his gaze away and stepped outside. The snow was trampled all around the entrance when the Houndour had been thrown up. Silver looked around cautiously, but saw no signs of the intruder anywhere. Finally accepting that the brute was gone, he left out a sigh of relief.

Getting back to his objective, Silver started out in a more or less random direction. He shivered as the softened snow allowed him to sink deeper, each step almost a leap now just to press on. His muscles protested the hard work it took going forward, still sore from the hard fight he had had. The snow was now almost coming to his neck, making him worry that it might be too hard to travel soon. Hopefully it would warm just enough to melt the snow, or get cold enough to harden it so he didn't sink.

After a few days of gathering, the nearby berry bushes had been picked of any good fruit, and it took a few minutes before Silver spotted another mound covered by snow. Bounding over to the mound, he quickly pawed the snow away to uncover a large Pomeg berry bush. He smiled slightly as he saw that most of the berries were still good and not frostbitten.

Without his leaf in his possession anymore, Silver snapped off a few branches of the thick, red berries and held them high and tightly in his jaws to keep them out of the snow. As he started walking, he realized the soreness in his limbs was leaving as his legs became numb from the cold, which also numbed the slight pain he was still feeling.

As he trudged through the high snow, he focused on getting the food back and resupplying the stockpile. He knew that the situation was bad, though he hoped that Eve hadn't caught on. When so little time to gather food, there was little chance to get enough provisions for the rest of winter before frost completely set in and destroyed the last of the berries. Depression tried to weigh down his mind at the seemingly impossible task of gathering berries.

But then his thoughts turned to Eve, and he instantly pushed the depression away. Eve needed him now. She was still recovering from the cold, and she didn't seem to know as much about the wild. He needed to stay strong and try his hardest to help her.

Silver shook his head to clear it as he realized he had been mindlessly walking and he was now back at the den. Sliding into the burrow, he placed the few branches on the new berry spot. Checking on Eve, he found that she was still curled up away facing the wall. He paused again to watch her, before he went outside and headed toward the Pomeg berry bush again.

Before he had gone a few steps, his steps returned to Eve. How would he be able to tell her his feelings? He had hoped that she might do or say something that would make him less apprehension about telling her, but he still wasn't certain how she felt. Could he really take a rejection of his feelings? Would he ever gather the courage to risk telling her at all? Besides, they were in a tight situation at the moment; he shouldn't be complicating the situation even more.

Also, there was one more small thing that was bugging him, though he didn't like to admit it. He had been unable to stop that Houndour. If it wasn't for Eve, that Houndour would most likely have killed him. While he had struggled against the Houndour, Eve had wiped it away easily. He didn't believe in the whole male stronger than female thing, but his father had always bred into him, both by lessons and example, that the male should be able to protect the female and keep her safe. He had been unable to do either. Did that mean he shouldn't try to be Eve's mate? If he couldn't keep her safe, what use would he be?

He paused as he realized something. They were in a tight situation, one they might not live through. He might not have many chances to tell her his feelings. One thing he didn't want to do was live this world thinking 'what if?' Finally making up his mind, Silver starting thinking of when a good moment would be when he could tell her. However, he would still focus on finding a good moment to train, probably once the berries had died off and he didn't need to gather anymore. He needed to get stronger and be a more able mate.

Silver continued, his demeanor much different now that he had removed his worry. He felt lighter and happier than he had been in a long time. Now that he wasn't worrying, his carefree nature made everything appear different with his mind made up. He barely even felt the cold as he continued heading to the berry bush.

Silver was so enthralled in his carefree state, that he didn't notice the obstacle in his way until he ran nose first into it. The sudden impact made Silver fall back onto his haunches, his nose smarting. Silver instinctively started to rub his nose with a paw, only to quickly stop as his snow covered paw chilled him. His nose still hurting a little, Silver got up and shook off the snow that gotten on him.

Glancing up to see what he had ran into, Silver froze as he realized the obstacle was not an object, but rather a Pokemon. The Pokemon was slightly larger than him and was also a quadruped. Its orange pelt was covered in black markings on its back and legs. Cream colored fur covered its muzzle and came down to cover its underbelly as well, with a swab of hair on its head and a tail to match. The Pokemon seemed to naturally radiate heat off of it as Silver could feel it even from a few feet away. The Growlithe had a large grin plastered on its face, making Silver relax when he realized it didn't seem angry.

"Sorry about that," Silver apologized, not making eye contact.

"That's alright, no harm done," the Growlithe said. Without another word, it walked away, the snow easier to traverse with its slightly larger limbs and the heat softening the surrounding snow. It shivered slightly, but continued on away from Silver.

Silver watched it for a moment, before shaking his head and continuing on to the bush, this time watching where he was going. He soon fell into a routine of just making trips from the bush to the den, still wondering about when the best time would be to tell Eve.

(0)

Eve stayed curled up, her thoughts drifted as she rested. She felt guilty just lying here while Silver went out into the cold to gather food for both of them. She might have been a captured Pokemon, but she knew the berries would be dying off from the cold. They needed to gather food soon, but Silver was still insisting on her staying here.

Did he care so much because he liked her? Or would he do this for any friend? Was he trying to show that he liked her as well? Without knowing how he would act with his old friends, she was unsure.

However, she was growing more and more sure that she had feelings for him. He took care of her, provided food for her, and had been the one to find their shelter. In her mind, that would be what she would want in a mate, a caring Pokemon. Would he want to become her mate someday?

But she knew she was just setting herself up if he wouldn't come with her and her trainer. Would she have to end up choosing between them, her loving trainer or her good friend?

How could she be sure he returned her feelings? She didn't know how wild Eevee showed that kind of affection. Was he actually trying to show her and she wasn't realizing it? How could she be sure?

Eve sighed quietly. She then paused as she realized there was one thing she could be sure of. She could ask him if he would come with her. If he did, then would that mean he was willing to give up his freedom from the wild to be with her? If he didn't, then would that mean he was just a good friend wanting to help her?

Finally, she made up her mind on what she would do. She would decide to tell him her feelings depending on his answer. Now all she needed was a good opportunity to tell him.

Yawning, Eve uncurled from her position, tired of just staying still. She needed to do something, something that would help Silver. Looking around, she saw the blackened remains of the old berry pile. Getting up, Eve started to sweep the ashes and remains over into a much more compact spot near the wall, more out of sight from others.

She was almost finished when Silver came down, another load of berries in his jaws. He quickly put them down on the new pile when he saw her up. "How are you feeling?" he asked, coming over to her.

"I'm feeling okay," Eve said, hoping he wouldn't mind her helping.

"Good. I'll go gather some more berries," Silver said, exiting the den again.

Eve quickly finished pushing the remains away, making the den appear much more attractive than before. Shaking off the little dust clinging to her tail, Eve headed over to the berry pile. She quickly began removing the berries from the branches, putting the branches over with the others that had luckily been away from the fire. As she did the small task to help as much as she could, Eve wondered when she would be able to ask him her question.

(0)

By the time Silver had stripped the large bush of its still ripe berries, the sun was starting to set. Silver shook the snow off his pelt before going into the den with the last load for the day. Putting the berry branches down on the pile, he saw that Eve was still stripping the berries off and placing the berries in a neat pile, pushing the branches off into the stick pile.

As Silver sat down and began helping Eve finish the task, he looked at the berry pile and allowed a little pride to enter him. The pile, though almost completely made of Pomeg, was already half as large as his previously accumulated stockpile. Looking at the achievement, Silver felt a true glimmer of hope that they would make it through the winter.

They had just finished pulling the berries off when Silver's stomach growled its status of emptiness. Silver blushed a little as Eve giggled next to him. Though he knew he could easily eat more from his appetite, he only picked the amount he knew he needed. They ate in silence, though they stayed closed enough for their pelts to touch slightly.

As Eve finished her last berry, she gave a small yawn. Heading over to her usual spot, she curled up, instantly glancing at Silver to see if he would come over. She smiled slightly as he laid down next to her. She wondered briefly if she should ask now, but pushed it away for later on. Closing her eyes, she soon fell asleep.

Silver watched her gentle, sleeping form for a few seconds before he mentally bit himself. He had forgotten to tell Eve about his feelings. Promising himself to do it tomorrow, Silver closed his eyes and tried to sleep. As he slowly fell asleep, he wondered what she would say.

(0)

Silver woke up early as normal, the darn light barely filtering in through the small entrance tunnel. Eve was still sleeping calmly next to him, her soft breathing matching the gentle rise and fall of her body. Silver stayed still beside her, briefly wondering if he should wait for her to wake and tell her now. He was glad to note, though, that her temperature back to normal, her fever gone.

Silver was still deciding on if he should, when he noticed the light strengthening. He would have to leave to gather berries soon. Silver eased himself up, but the movement still woke Eve. She got up, yawning as she awoke.

"Good morning, Silver," she murmured, blinking the sleep from her eyes.

"Good morning, Eve," Silver responded, getting up.

"Wait, uh, Silver?" Eve started hesitantly, making him pause. "C-can I please go out and help now?" she asked, looking down at her paws.

Silver opened his mouth to answer, but paused. He knew Eve was pretty much recovered from the sickness, but he also didn't want to make her work. If anything, he wanted to go out of his way so that she didn't have to. However, she had sounded almost desperate with her question. Why would she want to help so much? Silver mentally bit himself as he realized that Eve must be feeling like a burden at the moment.

"Okay. You're fever is gone, so you should be fine," Silver said.

Eve let out a sigh, instantly perking up. She really must have been feeling like a burden then. He should pay more attention to her feelings.

Silver exited out into the snow, pausing near the entrance for Eve to come out. Choosing another random direction, Silver started off, Eve staying right by his side. Eve pressed against him slightly as they walked through the deep snow. Though his she was probably doing it for warmth, he much more enjoyed the feel of her fur instead.

Eve watched as Silver's breath billowed out in front of him while he looked around for a possible mound of snow that could be a berry bush. Eve stayed beside him, not knowing fully what to do yet. However, she was determined to learn in order to help in any way. She didn't want to force Silver to do everything.

As she stayed next to Silver, she thought again about the question she had. Would now be a good time? Or should she not interrupt him? However, the question was itching at her pelt, almost begging to be asked now.

Switching her attention back to Silver, she saw that he was now looking at his paws, as though thinking about something. Taking the chance now that he wasn't looking around, Eve finally decided to ask.

"Silver?"

"Eve?"

They both paused as they realized they had spoken at the same time. "G-go ahead," Silver prompted nervously, looking away.

"Well, uh," Eve started, feeling nervous herself. "I-I know you don't like trainers, but . . . I . . . I want to know if you'll come with me when we find my trainer," she finally said, the last part coming out slightly rushed.

Silver paused, not expecting that question. His mind raced, at first telling him yes, and then telling him no. Of course he would want to go with her; this was what he was wanting. But then another thought struck him; what if she didn't like him the same way? Could he really be around her after that?

Unable to decide what to do at the moment, he finally just asked, "C-can I have some time to think about it?"

Eve looked both relieved, and yet disappointed at his answer. "Y-yeah," she said, looking down at her feet.

How would he be able to choose until he knew how she felt about him? He then realized that he would have to tell her in order to answer her question. However, even though he had just worked up the courage to do so, the sudden question had both destroyed the moment and his courage, leaving him way too nervous to ask now. He would have to try again later.

All Silver could think about was that question as he started to look around just from habit. Would he ever find the courage to tell her?


	16. The Third Addition

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the slight delay, but I found the sixteenth chapter of "Leaf of Time" hard to write and didn't want to update only one of the stories. However, I still haven't been able to finish it, so I'm putting up "Silver" and will try to put "Leaf of Time" as soon as I do finish it. The good news is that I've finally got back to the point I was before in this story! It will be both easier and harder respectively to write the story from this point on. I chose to take Dennis out, for all you who read this before, because I chose to bring a different character in earlier, and the changed past of Jack wouldn't allow him. Instead, Jack's character has pretty much become a mixture of their personalities, though I hadn't planned that at first. This chapter actually turned out much longer than I had thought it would end up, but that's all the better for my readers I guess. Anyway, sit down, read, and enjoy. Oh, and review! -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 16: A Third Addition** -

Eve walked alongside Silver through the snow, still confused about his answer. She had prepared herself for either yes or no, but was slightly caught off guard by him asking her to wait. However, she was still relieved that he hadn't said no, at least yet.

With Silver seeming to be absentminded at the moment, Eve decided to try and help, looking around for some berry bushes. She was unsure how anyone could find them in all this snow, but she still tried. Then she realized the dune in the snow nearby meant something was under it.

Smiling as she figured it out, she started toward it. Silver seemed to automatically turn with her, deep in thought. How long would it be before he could decide? What would he say if she told him her true feelings about him?

Mentally sighing from all the other questions raging in her head, Eve started to bat at the mound, the now shaking branches throwing their snow off. She was glad to see that she had been right and that it was a berry bush, though she didn't recognize the fat, green fruit. However, they were still berries and the size of them was encouraging, though there were few that had been growing even before the cold had claimed some.

Besides her, Silver began to snap off a few branches, his movements still seeming to be automatic as he continued to think. Following his example, Eve tried to get as many berries laden branches as she could fit in her maw. Both of them now carrying berries, they headed back to the den, trudging through the snow.

As Eve fell into the routine of bringing back provisions to the den, she couldn't help but become anxious about the still silent Silver. Though he didn't appear as absentminded anymore, he still hadn't said anything. However, as they walked side by side, their sides touching, Eve felt herself calm down. Worrying wouldn't help anything.

Soon, Eve felt herself begin to tire from all the work. She was sure she should be able to go on longer than this, but she felt her limbs begin to tire as they methodically moved through the deep snow. However, determined to help Silver, she ignored it and continued on. She couldn't have been more relieved when they finally got back to the den with their last load for the day.

Putting the berries down on the pile, Eve mentally sighed as she saw that there were no sweet flavored berries still. She didn't let her disappointment show, though. She ate the few berries she picked quickly, trying to ignore the spicy taste to them. She had never been able to adjust to other berries, but she was willing to try. Silver had been trying hard, and it wouldn't be fair to be picky.

Finishing up her meal, Eve went over to her spot and curled up. As Silver laid down next to her, she wondered what his answer would be. She wanted him to give his answer then, but she stopped herself. He had been a wild Pokemon all his life. With only a few examples of humans, most of them bad, the choice was probably hard. She would just have to wait.

She inwardly sighed as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

(0)

Silver was the first to wake the next morning. As he glanced down at the still sleeping Eve, his thoughts immediately returned to the question. He knew she was waiting for him to tell her, but he was still trying to work up his courage again to tell her.

He stayed still and let her continue to sleep, knowing she would want to go out again. He knew she had been tired yesterday, so he wasn't about to wake her early. Instead, he contented himself with watching her sleep, wishing he wouldn't be so hesitant to tell her.

Silver's ears perked as he heard something coming from outside. After listening for a second, he confirmed that the sound was the crunching of snow as someone approached their burrow. The memory of the incident a few days again still in his mind, his neckfur instinctively rose and he had to suppress a growl.

Silver got up carefully, careful not to wake Eve. He slowly approached the entrance and looked out. He couldn't see anything from the angle, but he could hear someone outside.

"I'm sure that's a den now. I wonder if it's occupied. Don't kid yourself, of course it's occupied; look at all these prints. I wonder if they'll come out soon."

Suspicious, Silver slipped through the short tunnel and instantly got into an offensive stance outside, letting his fur bristle up to make him appear larger while baring his teeth to try and intimidate whoever it was.

Standing nearby, looking a little startled, was the Growlithe from before, recognizable by the large grin that was almost gone. After a few tense seconds, the Growlithe said, "Uh, h-hello."

Silver stopped his growling, but kept his hackles raised. He didn't reply, waiting for the Growlithe to continue.

"I . . . I was looking for some shelter. Could . . . could I possibly stay here?" it asked hesitantly, shuffling its paws in the snow.

Silver held back from answering, his mind immediately leaping to two different answers. On one paw, he enjoyed company and would love to make a new friend. Plus, someone else here would provide more protection.

However, he wasn't just about to invite a potentially dangerous Pokemon inside the burrow where it could easily get to Eve. Also, it was hard enough already to gather berries for two of them, let alone three Pokemon.

Letting his fur flatten, Silver sighed, feeling a little bad for his answer. "We're struggling with our provisions as it is," Silver said.

"Well, I can help gather food, I promise," it said enthusiastically, its tail wagging some.

_True,_ Silver thought. However, there was still Eve. She had just gotten better from her sickness, and she was very trustful of other Pokemon. Silver paused as he remembered why she had gotten sick; they couldn't find a place to stay. If someone had been kinder and allowed them to stay somewhere, maybe Eve wouldn't have gotten sick.

"Silver? Is everything okay?"

Silver looked back to see Eve slowly coming out of the tunnel behind him, a curious look on her face. When she saw the Growlithe waiting anxiously, her fur bristled some, and she pressed against Silver some, her gaze not leaving the new Pokemon for a second.

Lowering his voice to confer with Eve, he explained. "This Growlithe is looking for some shelter, and he's willing to help gather berries. He didn't seem to have any ill motives. What do you think?"

Eve looked down at her paws, her slight frown showing her indecision. "Well, i-if you think it's okay, Silver," Eve said quietly.

Silver looked back up at the still nervously waiting Growlithe. "As long as you help to gather berries, then you can stay," Silver announced.

The Growlithe immediately let out a sigh, his hot breath forming a small cloud in the frosty air. "Thank you," the Growlithe replied happily, his tail really wagging now. Silver couldn't help but smile as the large grin reappeared on the Growlithe's face.

"I'm Silver, and this is Eve," Silver introduced.

"I'm Jack," the Growlithe replied.

Nodding, Silver turned and slipped back into the den, Eve quickly following him. Jack soon came in after them. "This is the den. We keep the stockpile over there. That's pretty much it," Silver said, the den suddenly seeming small.

Jack looked around for a second, before suddenly pointing at one wall. "What that black stuff?"

"Oh, that's . . . leftovers of our old berry pile. We got into a . . . situation a couple days ago," Silver said, skipping over the details.

"Okay, what's next?" Jack asked.

"Well, now we go and gather berries. Just gather as much as you can before nightfall and put them on the pile. And we'll have to hurry, for the berries will start going bad in just a few days," Silver instructed.

"Okay, then, I guess I'll go and start gathering," Jack said, going back out.

"Are you feeling up to go back out?" Silver asked, turning to Eve.

Eve nodded quickly. Though he was still slightly worried about her keeping up, he really didn't want her to stay until he knew more about Jack. He didn't want to distrust him, but he didn't want to put Eve in any unnecessary danger, either.

Heading outside, Silver saw that Jack had headed to the right. Wanting to cover more ground, Silver started off to the left, Eve coming up right next to him. Like before, she pressed against him as they walked through the cold snow.

As Silver paused to check the area for any possible bushes in the snow covered forest, Eve asked, "Uh, Silver? Are you sure about Jack?"

"Well, not completely," Silver admitted, "but he is willing to earn his keep. Also, I . . . I remembered how we had been looking for a shelter also. If someone had done the same for us, you might not have fallen into the river and gotten sick."

"Oh, yeah," Eve murmured, her hung head and lowered ears showing her guilt.

"Come on," Silver said, laying his tail across her back, "we need to get moving."

Nodding, Eve started walking again, still feeling bad about her doubt.

Heading off again, they started another day of endless searching and gathering. Though they didn't meet up with Jack, they could see the food he had gathered added to the pile. Silver though grew worried from each bush they found. More and more of the berries were bad from the cold, much more than Silver expected. By tomorrow, there might not be any left that were still good.

As Silver and Eve came back to the den with their last load, the sun was beginning to set. Silver jumped a little when he saw the Growlithe inside, before he recognized that it was Jack. "Hey guys," Jack said, noticing their entrance.

"Hey," Silver replied once he had set down the few berries they had found.

"Uh, when do we eat?" Jack asked hesitantly.

"Now," Silver said, grabbing a few berries and sitting down. Eve grabbed a few and sat down beside him.

As they began to eat, Silver studied the stockpile, gauging how much they had. He was glad to see that they had gathered enough to last a few weeks if they rationed it out. By then, the short winter of this area would be over and new berries would begin to grow. They might just make it.

"So," Jack began as he ate his small meal, "how long have you two had this den?"

"We came here as winter started," Silver said, taking a bite of his berry.

Jack nodded and finished swallowing before he continued. "I've just been roaming around for a while. I started looking for some shelter when it began to snow. I didn't know it was so late in the year," he said sheepishly.

Silver grinned and continued eating.

After a moment of silence, Jack spoke up once again. "So, how do you two know each other? Are you two mates?"

Silver almost choked on the bite he was chewing. Hiding his reaction, Silver quickly swallowed so he could answer, seeing Eve too startled to speak beside him. "Uh, well, w-we're just friends. I'm helping Eve find her trainer," he explained, trying to see Eve's reaction out of the corner of his eye, but failing.

"Oh, I just thought you two would be with living together and such," Jack replied, a slightly confused look on his face.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. As they finished, Eve went over to lie down in her spot. Silver paused, but saw that Eve was watching him, waiting for him. Though he felt a little self-conscious with Jack there, he went over and laid down next to her. Silver watched Jack look at them even more confused before lying down himself to sleep. Silver fell asleep, wondering if there would be any berries left to gather by tomorrow.

(0)

Like usual, Silver woke early. However, Eve also woke early as did Jack. With all of them awake, they decided to go out then in the morning light. Silver was worried about Eve, who appeared tired from so much work, but she seemed determined to go on.

The day started out bad with any bushes they found empty or completely frostbitten. By the time the sun had reached its zenith, they still had found no ripe berries. They finally stopped as they saw Jack nearby.

"Any luck?" Silver asked as they approached.

Jack shook his head sadly.

Silver sighed. "I guess the frost has finally taken the last of them then. It won't do much good to continue searching."

"I should have tried harder yesterday," Jack muttered.

"It's okay; we should have enough for the rest of the winter. Winter here doesn't last very long," Silver explained. "Let's just go back to the den and try to keep warm."

Jack nodded, and they went back to the den. Eve immediately sank down onto her spot, ready for the rest. They all sat in silence for a while, before Silver remembered his resolve to train. He was about to go out, when he thought of Jack. He could probably help, and Eve would stay calmer if he wasn't there when Silver was gone.

"Hey, Jack, can I talk to you? Outside?" Silver asked, snapping Jack back to the present.

"Huh? Oh, okay," Jack replied, a little confused.

As Silver headed toward the entrance, Eve looked up worriedly. "We'll be back soon," he promised.

Outside, Silver headed away from the den a little until he was sure he was completely out of hearing range. "Jack, do you know how to fight?" Silver asked.

Jack immediately became nervous. "Well . . . I-I don't like to admit it, but I was kind of bred to fight," Jack murmured quietly.

Silver was surprised, but that was all the better. "Could you possibly help me learn to fight better?" he asked.

"Why do you want to learn that?" Jack asked.

"Earlier, a Pokemon came into our den and attacked us, the reason our food pile was destroyed. I want to be able to fight better to protect Eve," Silver explained.

"Wait, I'm still a little confused about your relationship," Jack said.

Silver paused, but decided to tell him. "Well, I . . . I like Eve, but . . . I haven't told her, yet. I still don't know if she likes me as well," he admitted, looking down at his shuffling paws.

"She seems to like you," Jack replied.

"I don't know . . . Anyway, I need to get stronger so that I can protect her," Silver continued, making eye contact again.

"I'll teach you for that reason. I don't really like fighting at all, but you just want to protect someone else. First, let me clear an area. We can't practice on this snow," Jack said, motioning Silver to move.

Silver stepped away and gasped as the Growlithe suddenly let out a wave of flames at the snow. The snow quickly melted into large puddles in the new large clearing. Though the damp ground was muddy, it would still be better than trying to battle in the deep snow.

"Okay, what moves do you know?" Jack asked as they moved into the cleared area.

Silver paused, having not thought about it in a long time. "I know Tackle, Iron Tail, Helping Hand, and Sand-Attack."

Jack thought for a second before continuing. "Okay, come at me and show me your Tackle."

"Won't it hurt you?" Silver asked, hesitating.

Jack chuckled at the question. "I'm a trained battler. I can handle a Tackle."

Shrugging, Silver crouched down and gathered his power into his back legs. Finished, Silver launched himself at the Growlithe, only to be thrown to the side by a swift paw. Silver got up and shook off the snow he had fallen into.

Glancing up, he saw that Jack was watching with an amused smiled on his face. "Okay, we'll start with your power first. I saw that you didn't start to prepare until you had fully crouched."

Silver was a little confused, but nodded.

"If you gather your energy as you crouch, you can launch forward twice as fast and cut down the time needed to execute the attack," Jack explained. "Why don't you try it again that way?"

Silver nodded and went back to his starting position. Silver focused on the instructions for a second before trying it out, focusing his power as he began to crouch. Jack was right, as Silver found himself ready to leap so soon, that he wasn't prepared and the entire move was thrown off.

Slightly embarrassed, Silver picked himself up and tried it again. This time, he was ready and launched himself forward quickly. However, he was still suddenly swept away by a flashing paw, throwing him on his back.

"Next," Jack instructed as Silver got back up, "you charged in a straight line. Unless your opponent doesn't know you're there, coming straight on allows the opponent to batter you away easily or even counterattack. You need to swerve slightly to either side so that you can confuse the opponent. Feinting could also help if you can do it well enough."

Silver inwardly sighed, not knowing it would be this involved. However, he still got back to his spot and came forward in another Tackle, trying to implement what Jack had talked about. As he got close, he tried to feint to one side, but somehow, a paw flashed out of nowhere and flipped him on his side before he could make contact.

Huffing, Silver got back up, waiting for the next lecture. "That was better, but I could easily see through that feint. Also, you need to watch all of your opponent, not just the part you aim for. If you don't, your opponent can pull something that catches you off guard, just like I did. Do you want to try again?" Jack asked patiently.

Silver immediately nodded, still huffing a little from being flipped. It was starting to get annoying from being stopped so easily. He was now focusing more on at least just hitting Jack than practicing. Setting that as his goal, he ran at the Growlithe. He watched the fire type carefully as he closed in. However, he still had only a second's notice as Jack's paw rushed out and tripped him, making him land on his face.

Silver let out an annoyed sigh before getting back up. "You were watching too closely and not concentrating on the swerving part to allow you to dodge easier. Your focus cannot stay on just one part, but all of the variables of your attack," Jack explained.

Sighing, Silver took his position again. As he began to crouch again, he remembered his resolution; to be able to protect Eve. He would make sure he learned everything Jack had to offer in order to become better. As he began to charge again, he was prepared to work all winter if he had to.

(0)

Eve sat worriedly, wondering what was taking the two so long. It would only be a few more hours before the sun set. Eve got up and paced over to the entrance, checking to see if they were back. She was getting really concerned now. Silver had just got up and mysteriously left with Jack a long time ago. Had they gotten into trouble? Did they need help? Eve's thinking didn't help matters as her worry only grew.

Finally, she made up her mind to go check on them. Slipping out of the den, she studied the area. Silver's and Jack's old tracks went away farther into the trees. Eve quietly padded along their trail, wondering where they had gone. As she continued, she began to hear grunting nearby. Continuing more quietly, Eve crept up to see what was happening.

Eve gasped quietly as she saw Silver suddenly charge at Jack in a snow cleared circle. As Silver got close to Jack, Jack flipped Silver easily with a flick of his paw. Eve tensed, wondering why the two were fighting, when Jack let Silver get up and began talking. Though he wasn't speaking very loudly, Eve could tell the Growlithe was instructing Silver.

_Why is Jack telling Silver how to fight? _Eve wondered, still watching as Silver got into position again and continued to train against Jack. _Why would Silver want to fight?_ As Eve continued to think, she remembered the recent fight with the Houndour. He had been beaten up by the intruder badly. Was he training so it wouldn't happen again?

At first, Eve thought that was it, until something else clicked. Silver's hesitance to choose his answer to her question, his reaction to Jack's question; was it because of her? Was he feeling weak because of her power? He hadn't seemed unsettled when she had saved him from his Cyndaquil friend, but now that he had actually seen her fight, was he feeling inferior?

Eve had been trained by her trainer a lot before she had been captured. Though he wasn't a traveling trainer like so many other humans, he still said she needed to be able to defend herself very well. However, all that training didn't mean a thing when she was taken away, chained up, and forced to do so many horrible things.

Eve shook her head to clear it from those disturbing thoughts. All that was in the past now, thanks to Silver. But was he acting so weird because she was stronger than him? She didn't think Silver would be like that, but why else was he training. Obviously, he believed he wasn't strong enough for some reason or other.

Was that why he hesitated about answering? Did he think he wasn't strong enough? Eve sighed, thinking it might just be true. She needed to tell him what she thought, that he didn't need to be powerful.

She paused as she remembered something though. All males had a sense of pride. Some had more than others, but they all still had some. Even her trainer had had pride in everything he did. If she tried to intervene, he might take offense. What should she do?

After a while of just crouching in the snow, Eve could come up with only one solution: let him continue. Maybe if he trained a while, he wouldn't feel bad anymore. Maybe he might go with her if he convinced himself he was stronger.

Sighing, Eve turned and trudged back through the snow to the den, suddenly feeling the cold of the snow. As she slipped back into the den, she wondered how long Silver would take before he stopped training. Even more on her mind, though, was how long would she had to wait for him to decide?


	17. Jack

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long delay (over two weeks; unacceptable). I found that this chapter seemed hard to write at the beginning, though the last part was easier. Anyway, I know this is a short chapter, but the next one will be more interesting and action packed. Also, there are only two more chapters after this one before this story ends. I still can't seem to grasp that idea, though I've had this planned out for months. I found that naming this chapter was slightly hard, though I finally just rested with Jack. One last thing to note is that there is a time jump between chapters sixteen and seventeen, so pay attention to the writing. Please review! -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 17: Jack **-

Silver's eyes shot open as he realized he was awake. Carefully pulling away from Eve, he quickly made his way to the entrance, feeling both hope and worry at what he would find as he went out.

Outside, he saw that the weather had indeed stayed in its sunny condition as it had recently, helping to finish melting the majority of the snow less than a week ago. With only a little slush here and there, he still thanked Arceus for the short winter.

His nose twitching to draw in the nearby scents, he headed straight for the closest berry patch. Holding his breath, he studied the small, red Cheri berries that hung on the branches. Plump with a rich color of red, the berries actually appeared ripe. Silver nibbled a little on the berry and instantly knew it was ripe as the spiciness almost stung his tongue.

Silver let out a large sigh of relief. Though they hadn't gone hungry yet, Silver was extremely worried that the new berries wouldn't grow in time. In fact, with this berries finally ready, their gathering couldn't have been better planned. There was only one last berry on the pile; after breakfast, there would be no more food until more could be gathered.

His hopes highly lifted, Silver snipped off a few berries and brought them back to the den. Making one more trip, he had enough for breakfast for the three of them. It wasn't long before Eve and Jack awoke, both surprised at the additional berries.

"It's spring!" Silver announced, excitement coursing through him as he declared that they had finally made it through winter.

"So the berries are finally ripe?" Jack asked, his tail wagging as he came over to the food.

Silver nodded in reply as he bit into the first of his own berries. Silver enjoyed the breakfast much more than before with the knowledge that more food was becoming ripe; they wouldn't risk starving anymore.

As Silver finished his berries first, he sat back to think of what to do now. Now that they didn't have to worry about food anymore, they could go on. They could start looking for Eve's trainer once more; in fact, they could even start today. Though Silver had enjoyed staying in the burrow for so long, the small, cozy den growing on him, he knew Eve wanted to get back to searching for her trainer.

When Eve finished her berries, her eyes almost watering from the spicy Cheri berries, Silver decided to tell her. "Hey, Eve, with the weather better, we can start searching again now. Do you want to start?" Silver asked.

Eve instantly perked up at his announcement, her excitement obviously. "Could we?" she asked.

Silver nodded, but Jack took the moment to speak up. "What are you searching for?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Before we came here, we were looking for Eve's trainer. She was separated from him a while ago, and I've been helping her find him," Silver explained. "Well, I guess you can have this den now; we won't need it anymore."

"Could I come as well? I don't really have anything to do, and I would like the company," Jack said.

Silver paused, glancing at Eve for her decision. She shrugged slightly, so Silver turned back to Jack and nodded. "Sure, if you want to."

"Great, so where do we start?" Jack asked as he got up.

"Well, anywhere, really. We don't know where Eve's trainer is," Silver admitted. "Are you guys ready?"

When they nodded, Silver headed outside. Silver automatically took on the role of the leader as he randomly chose a direction and started out. While Jack stayed a few paces back, Eve drew close to Silver, their pelts almost touching. Though she had just let Jack come along, Eve hadn't opened up to Jack much during their stay in the den, rarely having talked to him at all.

Silver enjoyed being able to walk in the forest once again without cold wind rushing down his back or snow chilling his stomach. Though the trees were still bare, there were a few flowers that gave off a light aroma, convincing Silver that spring had finally arrived. The sun kept the air warm enough to be comfortable, though the chill of winter hadn't fully left yet.

They said little as they traveled in a vaguely straight line through the forest. It was still a little before sunset when Silver noticed that Eve was getting tired. While he and Jack had been training every day, Eve had been staying in the den and getting little exercise. It would probably be a day or two before Eve was used to the traveling.

"Let's stop here for the night," Sliver announced as they came to a large tree.

Eve looked relieved and sat down, only to hop up as she realized they still needed to gather dinner.

"Jack and me will find some berries," Silver promised, nodding toward the tree. Though Eve looked hesitant, she sat back to rest.

Silver sniffed the air and headed toward the first scent that reached his nose. Jack quietly followed him, only speaking up as they went out of hearing range. "Are we going to train again?"

Silver paused, unsure. Though they had been training every day for three weeks, Silver had been unable to land one hit on Jack. Jack had said Silver was getting better, but Jack was just too well trained for Silver to see any difference in his moves. However, now that they were back on their search, he didn't think they would have time anymore.

"No," Silver said, shaking his head. "Let's just get some berries."

Jack nodded and followed him to the source of the smell Silver had been following. When they got back to the large tree, Eve almost appeared to be dozing. However, her head came up quickly as they approached.

The sun was still a little away from setting when they finished their meal. As they laid down, Eve came closed and pressed against him, even though the night air was no longer very cold. The contact once again reminded Silver about his hesitance. Even after all this time, Silver had still not worked himself up to tell Eve his reply. He was running out of time with them once again looking for Eve's trainer. He needed to tell her soon.

Silver gave a small sigh of frustration before he let himself fall asleep.

(0)

When Eve woke, Silver was already awake, their breakfast gathered. Stretching, Eve ate her portion. Eve didn't like the dry taste, but quickly swallowed her small bites, ignoring the taste like normal. After so long, she was almost used to eating other types of berries besides sweet ones, though she still didn't like them.

As they all finished, Silver started to lead them through the forest again. Walking closely to Silver, Eve almost wished it was still cold out so she could walk right beside Silver. Hopefully, though, this better weather would help Silver decide sooner. She had noticed that they had not trained yesterday, so maybe he was done trying to get stronger.

Silver made a little conversation with Jack as they walked, but Eve mostly stayed quiet. While she didn't know Jack well, she just wasn't a natural talker like Silver was. Instead, Eve entertained herself by taking in the surroundings as they padded along.

Once again, Eve felt herself growing tired a while before the sun had set. Seeing Silver and Jack appeared just fine, Eve hid her tiredness as best she could as they continued, not wanting to be a burden for the others. However, Silver still seemed to notice her exhaustion and stopped them at another large tree.

Though Eve wanted to help, she still accepted letting Silver and Jack gather the berries while she rested. They were back quickly, and Eve's mouth began to water at the smell of sweet berries. Silver gave her a few Pecha berries, and Eve happily began to eat the soft, pink berries.

As they finished their meal and began to lie down for the night, Eve realized Silver still hadn't even hinted at his decision yet. _What is he waiting on? _Eve wondered despairingly. _Why is it taking him so long to choose?_

(0)

Like before, Silver woke up before the others and headed to the Pecha berry bush to gather their breakfast. Eve's enjoyment of the Pecha berries was obvious as she quickly ate them, her bushy tail swishing around happily behind her.

Soon enough, they were walking along the forest once more. They had only been walking a little while when it came into sight. They all stopped as the first buildings of the city could be seen through the trees. With a jolt of recognition, Silver realized this was the city they had passed through before. They had gone in a large circle and were now back to here.

Swallowing hard, Silver managed to say, "Uh, let's head in another direction."

Eve immediately nodded in agreement. Surprisingly, Jack didn't question him as they turned to go. However, it was too late as a small, red blur came charging out of the nearby alleyway. Silver got into an aggressive stance immediately, though he was surprised to see Jack backing away a little, almost in fear.

The Pokemon slowed as it saw Silver until Silver could make it out. The red furred Vulpix with its six tails seemed a little familiar as it came toward them. "Sara!" Silver called out, letting his stance go as he recognized her. Jack seemed to almost freeze in spot as he called out Sara's name, though in fear or surprise, Silver couldn't tell.

"Jack!" Sara called out, going right past Silver and Eve to tackle Jack in a hug. Silver stood by Eve and simply watched in astonishment as Sara went to nuzzling Jack affectionately. "You came back!" Sara exclaimed, pulling up to see Jack's face.

Jack simply laid still under Sara's pin, gazing up at her with conflicting emotions coming across his face.

"Jack?" Sara repeated, tilting her head in confusion as she got off him.

Jack slowly got up, averting his gaze from Sara. "Sara, can't go back to the city. I've caused enough trouble as it is," he murmured.

Silver was really confused now, but the two seemed to not notice him and Eve as they continued.

"Jack, it's over. Mark is gone," Sara said.

Jack's head immediately came up to make eye contact with Sara. "It is?" he asked, hope flaring up in his voice. When Sara nodded in confirmation, Jack jumped up in excitement, his renewed vigor showing in his flailing tail.

"Wait," Silver interrupted. Both Sara and Jack turned to him and Eve, almost appearing startled. "What is going on?" Silver asked.

Sara turned to Jack, who looked down at his shuffling paws. "Well, I come from the city here. When I was born, my real father had left already, and my mother had taken a new mate. I was immediately taught how to fight by my step father so I could protect myself, quickly learning everything he had to teach.

"However, my real father came soon and tried to claim me and my mother as his own. When he started threatening, ran away so that they wouldn't fight over me anymore," Jack explained quietly.

"So why did Mark leave, Sara?" Silver asked.

"Dereck won that last fight and forced Mark to leave the city permanently. Mark even lost an eye during his fight with Dereck," Sara replied, before turning to Jack. "We've been watching for you ever since," she added, leaning forward to nuzzle him again. Even with the long fur on his face, Silver could see the blush rising to his cheeks.

"How do you two know each other?" Silver asked.

"We wer close friends before I left," Jack replied, though he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. Even so, Sara pulled back, looking saddened a little by his statement.

"How do you know each other, Silver?" Eve asked, finally joining the conversation.

"Sara was spying on Mark's camp when we were taken into it," Silver explained. "Which reminds me; Sara, this is Eve. Eve, Sara."

"Hello," Sara greeted, though Eve only nodded a little in reply. Sara suddenly jumped and said, "Come and see what the place is like now. Dereck will be so happy to see you're here, Jack." His worries about the place gone, Jack also seemed to like the idea now. Sara headed toward the city, Jack closely in tow.

Silver hesitated, not liking the stony place at all, but followed after the two fire types, Eve staying right beside him. The alleyway was as bad as Silver remembered it, the stony path wearing down on the pads of his feet. On the up side, there were no Pokemon attacking them this time.

After a little while of walking down stone pathways, they reached a small clearing between the buildings. There was a small structure that appeared to be lived in leaning against a wall. Silver paused as two large Arcanine suddenly appeared from the shelter, their large bulk somehow fitting into it.

The two Arcanine lit up as they saw Jack, as did he. Silver sat by with a small smile on his face as he watched Jack's reunion with his parents. "Jack, where have you been?" his mother, the slightly smaller Arcanine, asked as she covered him in licks.

"I left so you guys wouldn't fight over me," Jack admitted, looking down at his feet.

Dereck let out a heavy sigh. "We fight for you because we love you, okay? Don't run off again," he ordered.

Jack nodded in reply, though he looked a little relieved. "Dad, these two Eevee helped me make it through the winter. They are Silver and Eve," Jack introduced.

"Didn't you help us fight as well?" Dereck asked, looking at Eve. Eve crouched down slightly and pressed against Silver, giving a small, fearful nod. Dereck's gaze suddenly turned compassionate as he saw Eve's reaction. "Do not fear, little one. You are in no danger here," he promised. "However, I must profusely thank both of you for helping Jack make it back safely."

Silver nodded in reply, though Eve stayed in her crouched position. Silver curled his tail around her some to comfort her. "You're welcome. If you don't mind, we would like to get back to our search. We're trying to find Eve's trainer," Silver explained.

"Well, there are many humans to the north. Maybe you should try there," Dereck suggested. Silver took a small breath as he remembered that they would have to be near humans as they searched for Eve's trainer. "I'll have Jack take you to the northern edge of the city."

Jack nodded and came back over to them. "Let's go." Getting up, Silver followed Jack into another alleyway, Silver's tail still lightly across Eve's back. Sara also followed, picking up her pace until she was next to Jack.

It wasn't long before Silver was once again completely lost as they took several turns in the twisting labyrinth of alleys. With Jack and Sara talking in low voices ahead, he couldn't help but wonder if Jack was paying attention to the turns at all. However, they finally reached the edge of the city again, with the forest once again in front of them.

"Here it is," Jack announced, stepping to the side. He paused for a second before continuing. "If you two don't mind, I'm going to stay here now that the drama is over. I hope you find your trainer soon, Eve."

"Thanks," Eve murmured, appearing anxious to get to the forest.

"Well, I hope to see you again one day," Silver said as he started forward.

"Bye," Jack replied, waving his tail in a salute.

"Best of luck," Sara called out, before brushing up against Jack.

Wondering what their relationship would up as, Silver waved his tail farewell to the two fire types as he entered the forest. As they started through the leafless forest, the thought that they could find actually Eve's trainer soon struck Silver. _I need to tell her soon, _Silver thought.


	18. The Past

**Author's Note:** Almost a complete month to update! I am extremely sorry. The first week I did some typing, but mostly wasted time. The second week I went camping with no time off, so I have an excuse for that time. These last two weeks I was switching bedrooms with my brother (I don't have to share anymore!); I did have a little free time, but I must admit that I wasted it playing the new Pokemon Conquest (best Pokemon game EVER). Once again, I am dreadfully sorry for this extended delay and hope the update makes up for it. Oh, the good news is that there is one chapter left (or maybe that's bad news...), though I now must concentrate on the next chapter of "Leaf of Time". There will be a bonus chapter, though, but I'll explain that in the next chapter. -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 18: The Past** -

The warm sunshine that had been shining on the forest was slowly leaving as clouds appeared overhead. However, Silver could still tell that the sun would be setting soon. Glancing over at Eve, he could tell that she was starting to get tired again. Even with the brief respite at the city earlier, they had been walking all day, and it seemed Eve still hadn't gotten used to traveling again.

"Do you want to stop?" Silver asked.

Eve shook her head and continued walking. Silver could tell she did, but let her decide and continued padding along beside her. He made sure to watch her carefully so that she didn't trip with her slightly dragging paws. However, watching her once again reminded Silver how her question. He needed to tell her soon, but how?

His thoughts had just started to wonder, when something abruptly landed on top of his nose. Blinking his eyes in surprise, Silver saw that it was a drop of water. He had just realized what this meant, when another drop of rain hit him on the back.

Looking around quickly, Silver saw a strange tree nearby that was still green and full. Though the other trees were bare and leafless from their short winter, this one didn't seem to have been affected and would be able to provide some overhead protection.

"This way," Silver said, starting toward the shelter. Eve wordlessly followed him as they quickly made their way through the rain that was slowing picking up. They were a little damp, but mostly still dry when they finally reached the tree. However, the rain was still picking up until there was a steady shower coming down.

Under the strange tree was small needle like things that seemed to have fallen from the tree itself as leaves. Contrary to their shape, though, the needle leaves made a rather comfortable spot to lay down.

Silver's stomach took the moment to growl. After eating regularly for a while and walking all day, Silver was already hungry. Though the rain wasn't very inviting, his stomach was overpowering his hesitation. "I'm going out to get some food, okay?" he said, turning to face Eve. Eve had already begun to dry herself off and nodded a little in confirmation.

Taking a breath in needless preparation, Silver padded out into the rain. The rain felt cold as it hit him, making him shiver a little at first. Silver sniffed the air to try and find some berries. However, the rain dampened the usual scents, leaving him clueless.

Sighing, Silver headed out in a random direction. The rain continued to fall until his fur ended up clinging to his sides from the steady downpour. As he padded along, Silver's thoughts returned to the question. Eve had patiently been waiting for his answer for weeks now. He just needed to up work the nerve to tell her.

Pausing, Silver took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he tried to work up his courage. Finally, he resolved himself to telling her as soon as he got back. He wouldn't wait any longer to tell her how he felt.

Letting out his breath, he realized he could smell the faint smell of berries. Turning toward it, he soon found a Pecha berry bush, the fruit looking fresh from the rain. Pecha berries would be the perfect fruit to bring before he told her. Grabbing some in his maw, he quickly made his way back to the still-green tree, his tail wagging the whole way.

Silver quickly slipped into the cover and placed the berries down. He eagerly looked over at Eve, only to see that the Eevee was curled up asleep. She must have fallen asleep waiting for him. Eve looked peaceful in her dozing, so Silver disappointedly let her sleep and ate his dinner.

Leaving Eve's share in a dry spot, Silver carefully laid down next to Eve. The combination of the surprisingly soft needle leaves and the comforting sound of rain quickly lured Silver asleep.

(0)

Slowly waking up, Eve kept her eyes closed and curled up tighter, not wanting to wake yet. Realizing Silver wasn't next to her, Eve raised her head up to look for him. She was surprised when she noticed that it was already morning, the rain gone, though clouds still covered the sky. She had accidentally fallen asleep last night.

Silver wasn't in sight, but there were a few Pecha berries nearby. Hungry, Eve happily started eating the few berries. The sweet berries were just the thing Eve needed to fully wake her up. Her hunger mostly gone, Eve looked around again, but Silver still wasn't around.

Unable to track him with the damp conditions, Eve decided to wait for Silver to get back and rolled onto her back to relax on the soft pine needles. Her thoughts immediately drifted to Silver and her. Could they ever become more than just friends? Did he like her as well? _Is he even willing to come with me?_ Eve wondered. Even after several weeks Silver still hadn't decided. _What's taking so long?_

Eve's eyes shot open as a thought occurred to her, only to see something approaching. Rolling back over into a crouch, Eve saw that the advancing creature was a sleek, blacked furred quadruped. The Pokemon had a lighter, gray undercoat that was revealed on its face and chest. Though there were several scars on it, Eve was still able to recognize it as a Mightyena.

The dark type was slowly coming up to her, a sinister expression on its face. As it got closer, Eve could see a long, angry scar running across its face and through its closed right eye. "You look familiar," the Mightyena murmured rhetorically. "Yes, though you've cleaned up some. You're that Eevee from the city aren't you? I thought that newbie took care of you. I guess I'll have to do the honors then."

Eve was unable to reply as she slowly backed away from him, her tail slowly slinking between her legs. The sight of the powerful Pokemon instantly was triggering her recessed memories. Instead of the Mightyena standing in front of her, all she could see was that other Mightyena back at that island. Eve couldn't stop herself from shaking as the memory of that Mightyena above her resurfaced.

The Mightyena chuckled, probably thinking he was intimidating, and prepared to slash at her. Suddenly, Silver shot out nowhere and rammed into the Pokemon's right side, its blind spot. The surprise blow sent the Mightyena sprawling to the ground nearby.

Eve's breathing slowed as she forced the dreadful memory away with a shake of her head. Silver glanced back to check on her, before facing the Mightyena once more and letting out a low growl.

The Mightyena, who he thought was Mark, got up, chuckling as he trained his single eye on Silver. "And you're the newbie that was supposed to kill her. Were you also the little spy for Dereck?" he asked, confirming his identity. His sudden calm demeanor changed, his hackles rising as he got into a battle stance and growl menacingly. In a much angrier voice, Mark continued, "Do you see what you caused me! I lost my home and my eye! I'm going to make you pay!"

Finished, Mark lunged at Silver with his jaws open. Remembering Jack's training, Silver jumped forward between the Mightyena's legs and leapt up into its stomach. Winded, the dark type retreated a small distance to prepare another attack.

Panting a little, Silver glanced back to check on Eve again. Eve was crouching under the tree still, looking as though she was deciding to join in. Mark took the advantage in Silver's lapse of attention and lunged once more. Too late to dodge, Silver gathered the power in his tail and twisted on his paw to swing at the oncoming attack. However, Silver's paw slid in the mud from last night's shower, and he fell onto his back.

Before Silver could move, the Mightyena was above him and latching down onto his front left paw. Silver let out a cry of pain, only barely remembering not to jerk his leg away as Jack had taught him. Instead, his pushed his leg further into the Mightyena's mouth, activating its gag reflex. As Mark coughed, Silver pulled his leg away and rolled quickly out from under the Mightyena.

As Silver got up, he timidly tested his footing with his paw. Wincing, he brought his left leg against him, though he didn't spare time to inspect it as Mark was recovering from his coughing. Seeing he had ended up on the Mightyena's blind spot, Silver charged forward to tackle it once more. However, he quickly slipped and fell with only three legs to run on. Another whimper let him as he fell on his bit leg.

Mark turned, ready to attack, when Eve joined in and rammed into his side in one of her smashing tackles. The Mightyena flew away in a heap with a yelp of pain. Remembering Eve had to take time to recharge, Silver quickly got back up and limped in front of her.

The large dark type got up slowly, still growling to show his aggression. Mark immediately lunged again, furious at the heavy blow. Firming his footing better, Silver swung on his good foot and rammed his iron coated tail into the Mightyena's jaw as it got close. Mark reeled away from the powerful blow, a few droplets of blood already trailing out of one side of his mouth. Unable to use his left leg to balance him, Silver fell heavily after his spin.

Before Mark could retaliate, Eve rammed into him once more and sent him flying again. As Silver once again got up to cover Eve, Mark got up as well with his seemingly endless endurance. Silver kept the groan from escaping his mouth and got ready for another attack, his breath coming in short pants.

The Mightyena growled deeply at them once more, though he seemed to be breathing just as hard as them. After a short pause, he said, "You may have gotten lucky this time, but I will get you back one day." Scowling at them, he turned and slipped away through the forest, a slight limp appearing when he was a little distance away.

Relieved, Silver let himself sink to the ground, though he watched his hurt leg. Worried, Eve crouched down next to him and checked the wound. Blood matted a large portion of his leg, blocking the view of the actual damage. Glancing up to see Silver watching her examination, Eve hesitantly began licking at the revolting blood to clean his leg. Silver winced slightly at first, but didn't stop her. Trying not to concentrate on the thought of what she was doing, Eve cleaned the nauseating liquid off him and checked his leg again.

There were several small punctures in Silver's legs where the Mightyena had bitten, though they didn't appear to be very deep. Remembering what her trainer did for things like this, Eve picked up a nearby, large leaf, though dead, and placed it against the wounded area. Silver winced again, but seemed to understand as he twisted the stem into a little knot to keep it on him.

"Are you okay?" Silver asked worriedly.

Eve nodded a little, the distant memory trying to come back.

"Thanks for helping," Silver said quietly, before suddenly nuzzling her cheek.

Eve's full attention snapped to him, a full blush rising to her cheeks at the contact. Silver was looking away shyly. Before they could say anything else, the clouds opened up once more and another steady drizzle began.

Getting out of the open, Eve helped Silver limp over to the pine tree to rest and stay dry. Silver had just sat down, when he suddenly gasped. "I left our breakfast out there," he said, motioning toward some trees.

"I'll get it," Eve murmured, needing a moment to think about what just happened as she quickly trotted over to the area.


	19. Fin

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry for the major gap in time, but here's the last chapter. I tried to get it done, but I've been really busy this summer, so once again, I apologize. However, everyone cheer for this last addition to Silver. One last thing before you start to read: if you liked "Silver", even a tad bit, read the author's note at the bottom! -EeveeInHeat

**Silver**

- **Chapter 19: Fin **-

The Pecha berries were not hard to find with their bright pink skin. Though they appeared hurriedly placed, they were still under the meager shelter of some branches, keeping them dry. Eve sat down next to them for a moment to think.

What did Silver mean by that nuzzle? Even as a domesticated Pokemon, Eve knew that that meant something more than just friendship. She had seen it often enough between mates at the local park before she had been taken away. Did that mean Silver liked her as well? Did that mean he was willing to come with her?

But then her mind returned to the conclusion she had come to right before that Mightyena had shown up. She had thought of a possible reason that he was delaying his answer. He was going to say no, but didn't want to hurt her feelings. She knew Silver would be this way if that was his answer; he would be too nice to just outright tell her.

At first she had thought she was right, but now. . . . Was he just too shy to tell her? Or, did he like her, but didn't want to live under a human? _What is he thinking?_ Eve wondered.

Suddenly remembering the berries, Eve picked them up and trotted back to the pine tree, hoping Silver wasn't too worried. The rain had weakened once more while she had been thinking, letting her know she had been thinking for a while. She shouldn't have stayed out so long with Silver hurt.

However, as Eve came back to the tree, she saw that Silver had already nodded off, exhausted from the fight. She placed the berries down and checked, but Silver was fully asleep. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Eve sat down beside him and began to eat as she waited for him to wake. She was determined to ask him as soon as he awoke.

(0)

Silver slowly opened his heavy eyes, only to realize he had fallen asleep. The rain had already stopped, though it was still cloudy. Eve was sitting next to him, his uneaten berries in front of him. As he tried to sit up, a pain shot through his front left paw, making him yip as he fell back onto the ground.

All at once Eve was checking him as she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Silver muttered, though it still hurt. He was confused about the pain for a second until all the memories of the recent events came rushing back; Mark, the fight, getting bit.

Remembering what happened afterward, Silver looked up at Eve to see her looking at him expectantly, though hesitant with worry. She had probably been wondering about it the whole time he slept, which seemed a while. It was time he told her.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Though it hurt, he managed to stay upright once he got up. Eve looked worried, but he had her full attention when he began to speak. "Eve, I need to tell you something. I was planning to earlier, but the rain stopped me."

Eve seemed to hold her breathe, which meant he was right about her wondering.

"A while ago you asked if I would come with you when we found your trainer. Well, we've been through a lot while we've been traveling, and we've grown c-close. So, I w-wanted to know . . . if I go with you, will you be my mate?" Silver asked, the last part almost coming out in a rush.

The question seemed to linger in the air for a moment before Eve finally responded. Leaping at him, Eve wrapped her paws around him as he fell, rubbing her face in his mane. "Yes, yes, oh, yes, yes," Eve exclaimed excitedly.

Though Silver tried to hold it back, the yip came loudly as his paw was smashed against Eve. Eve backed off quickly, murmuring a 'sorry,' as she realized she had hurt him. Silver rolled back over into a lying position and looked at the wound. The leaf had slid down slightly, and he could see that it had been bleeding again.

"Is it okay?" Eve asked, trying to see.

"It still hurts, but I don't know if it's anything to worry about," Silver said, pulling the leaf back over the marks. There were small red spots where it had bled through.

"Maybe we should change the bandage," Eve suggested.

Silver nodded and was about to respond when a snap drifted to their ears. The sharpness meant it had come from a little away, but Silver knew that only a hurt Pokemon would break a twig or limb that loud. Something was out there, and it most likely wasn't a Pokemon; it was a human.

Silently, both Eevee backed up into the fork of the roots and crouched down, Silver ignoring the pain from moving. It provided little cover, though, so Silver fluffed his tail out over Eve to better conceal her. Soon, the sound of something walking through the forest came, the quick tempo and occasionally snapped twig confirming that it wasn't a Pokemon.

Finally, it walked into sight. It was definitely human, though it appeared to be searching for something. It looked as though the human would just pass on by, luckily not spotting them, when it paused and cupped its hands over its mouth.

"Eve! Are you out there!? Eve!" it called out.

It took a second before Silver suddenly realized it was calling for Eve. Looking over at Eve, he saw her standing, watching the human closely. Unable to figure out the expression was on her face, he looked back over at the human.

The human was looking around, but looked as though it wasn't expecting anything. Right when it appeared the human would walk away, Eve took a few steps toward it. Catching its attention, the human looked over and saw Eve.

Suddenly, Eve sprinted forward and leapt into the human's arms. While Eve affectionately rubbed up against him and nuzzled him, her tail madly wagging, the human simply sat down on his heels and stared, astonished, at the Eevee in his arms.

After a few seconds, he seemed to recover from his shock, and the human tentatively began to pet Eve, a look of joy and disbelief on his face as he slowly repeated Eve's name. Finally, he pulled Eve tight and started to weep, quietly adding in some sentences that Silver didn't catch.

Silver stayed crouched where he was, unsure what to do, as he watched the scene unfold. Even though Eve had spoken highly of her human, he hadn't expected them to be so . . . close. The scene was definitely new to Silver, who had known only a few humans so far. Even Flame hadn't seemed to be this close to his trainer. Was this really what it was like with some humans?

After a few minutes, the human had fallen silent and was simply keeping Eve close. Eve suddenly began to wiggle around some, and the human put her down. Eve immediately ran the few feet back to Silver, a joyful expression on her face, though there were also tears stains. "It's Daniel, my trainer. It's really him. This is my trainer," Eve repeated, her tail still wagging.

The human, still crouched, turned to look at Silver. "Who's this, Eve?"

"Don't worry; he won't hurt you," Eve promised, nudging him forward.

Silver looked up at the human, Daniel, timidly. He short, but unruly, brown hair, with brown eyes and a lean body. Daniel seemed to be studying Silver the same way he was. Eve came and rubbed up against Silver's side, pressing close to him. She looked up at Daniel imploringly.

"What is it girl? Do you want this Eevee to come, too?" he asked, shocking Silver slightly with his quickness.

Eve nodded quickly, her tail wagging faster.

Daniel picked her up and hugged her close again, his hand slightly brushing Silver. "Anything for you," he said, putting her back down. Silver watched cautiously as the human turned back to him and reached out a hand slowly. "Don't worry; I won't hurt you," he soothed, as his hand continued to extend. "Do you want to come with me and Eve?"

Silver had already decided, but he still found hesitance as this human crouched in front of him. Could he really trust this human? Was he really as nice as Eve had said? Would this human be like the others?

Silver stared as the hand stopped before him palm out; he was waiting for Silver to come forward. Taking the chance, Silver leaned forward and pressed his nose against the human's hand. The hand moved up and started to slide down Silver's back. Tingles went down his spine with the motion, and Silver couldn't stop from letting out contented sigh. Never before had Silver felt this strange feeling of pleasure, but it was great and he let the human continue.

Silver tensed as Daniel's hands wrapped around him and began to pick him up. His body took on a strange feeling of flying as he hung from the human's hands. Before he knew it, he was staring right at the human's face.

"So you're Eve's new little friend. Well, I promise to take good care of you, okay? I'm Daniel. We'll find a name for you later," he said. His eyes suddenly drifted down to Silver's paw, where the leaf had slid down once more. "Uh, oh, looks like you were hurt. We'll need to get you checked out at the Pokemon Center on the way home. I'll carry you so it doesn't get worse."

Suddenly, Silver was lying on Daniel's crossed arms, his front left leg hanging off, as Daniel stood up. Though Silver wanted to protest being carried, he knew it would hurt too much to walk. Eve looked up worriedly, but smiled as they made eye contact.

"I'll be right here," she promised, starting forward as Daniel began walking.

Nodding a little, Silver fell back into another doze in the last spot he ever expected, a human's arms. He had finally told Eve, she was now his mate, and they had found her, and now his, trainer. It looked like their journey was finally over. However, it looked like his life with Eve was just beginning.

The End

**!READ!**

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**Author's Note: **The last author's note for "Silver". This chapter came out a lot different from the scene that had been going through my head a hundred times and was a bit short, but I feel as though this properly brings this short novel to a close. Also, I only expected ten to twenty thousand words for this, but ended up with over fifty (without author's notes), so that's amazing for me. For those of you who want to ask, no, there will not be a sequel of this story. There will be a small bonus chapter, though. The lemon (if you don't understand this word, don't look it up) chapter that I took out to make this T, will be posted as another story for those of you who are mature readers. While yes, it does give a glimpse of Silver's and Eve's future, it will mostly be a lemon, so don't worry all you teen only readers. However, this chapter will not be presently in the near future with everything I have going on, so put me on author's alert if you want to know when it comes out. Author's alert will tell you the minute I update any story or make a new one. Also, the creation of "Cinder's Exploits" will not start in the foreseeable future either because of this, though it will be the next one I start. Put me on author's alert if you want an email the instant I do start it. This story was a joy to write and I personally believe it to be my best work. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you found something out of this and enjoyed it as much as I. Hopefully I can get extra writing time in the future. Goodbye.


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